Explainers

NETHERLANDS and Turkey are all set to face off in a mouthwatering Euro 2024 quarter-final tie – and the action unfolds THIS weekend!Donyell Malen’s double and Cody Gakpo’s third of the tournament saw the Dutch cruise past Romania in their round of 16 match.Donyell Malen’s double inspired the Dutch to a 3-0 win against RomaniaCredit: RexMerih Demiral fired Turkey through to the last-8Credit: ReutersAnd it was a much-needed performance after Ronald Koeman’s side had been stunned by Austria just last week.Ironically, that same Austrian team crashed out of the competition at the hands of the Netherlands’ upcoming opponents Turkey.Two superb strikes from Merih Demiral including a record-breaking goal in 56 seconds helped the Turkish icons seal a place in the last-16.The winners of this thrilling battle will go up against the victors of England vs Switzerland so either way, fans are in for a fierce semi-final.Read more on Euro 2024Koeman will be wary of a mixed recent record against their quarter-final opponents.Although Turkey have won just one of their last four meetings, it came in the form of a 6-1 thrashing in their last meeting in 2021.Turkey were also beaten by the same scoreline by Austria in March, though, only to dump them out on Tuesday night.Vincenzo Montella’s side are looking to reach their first Euros semi-final since 2008.Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSMeanwhile, the Dutch have not made the last four for 20 years.Their hiatus from the semi-finals follows a run of four appearances in five tournaments between 1988 and 2004.Turkey fans turn Berlin red in CHAOTIC scenes after Euro 2024 last 16 victory over AustriaWhat is their form like?Holland have been dominant against less fancied opposition in recent months.Since the start of last season, only France, Germany and Austria have beaten the Oranje.However, the 1988 winners did not look at their best during the group stage before turning it on for an impressive rout of Romania.Turkey’s form heading into the tournament could not have been much worse, with zero wins from their four friendlies.Those defeats including the crushing loss to Austria, which they have now avenged after also beating Georgia and the Czech Republic in Germany.Montella will have been concerned by their self-destruction in the 3-0 loss to Portugal during the group stage, though.What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?Koeman faces no injury or suspension issues ahead of the last eight this weekend.He is likely to recall Malen after his brace off the bench against Romania on Tuesday.The Dortmund forward lost his place to Steven Bergwijn, but replaced him at half-time before scoring twice.Malen is likely to reclaim his starting spot after his heroics against RomaniaCredit: GettyMeanwhile, Turkey will welcome back both Samet Akaydin and Hakan Calhanoglu from suspension.Orkun Kokcu and Ismail Yuksek are now banned, though, after being booked against Austria.Kokcu had limped off late on and may have been a doubt had he been available.Montella has also been left sweating on whether Demiral will be available, with Uefa launching an investigation into his goal celebration against Austria.Who will be the star men?Gakpo is now amongst the joint top scorers at Euro 2024 after taking his tally to three against Romania.The Liverpool forward also grabbed an assist as he continued to impress in a Netherlands shirt.Across his two major tournaments, Gakpo has scored six goals in 10 appearances along with two player of the match awards this summer.Likewise, Arda Guler has twice been named player of the match for Turkey so far in the tournament.The teenager dazzled with a stunning goal in the win over Georgia and delivered the corner for Demiral’s second against Austria.Guler has put an injury-hit first season with Real Madrid behind him to show his class for his country.What have the managers said?Koeman hailed his side after Tuesday’s last 16 win, telling reporters: “We are Dutch and in Holland we have to play well, we have to play offensive.”The performance was outstanding and that is what we need to have a chance to continue in this tournament.”Meanwhile, Turkey’s incredible support was recognised by Montella as he spoke to the media.He said: “We have a huge following, there is passion and love.”This responsibility, love and support we constantly feel it, but you can only embrace these dreams if you work hard from day one – we will celebrate tonight but then we get down to work.”SunSport predictionThe Netherlands will head into the match as favourites off the back of their comfortable win over Romania.Turkey have had contrasting fortunes against more fancied opposition this summer, having faced both Portugal and Austria.Their fans will be hoping for a repeat of the display in the last round as they chase a spot in the semi-finals.However, the manner of their loss to Portugal could provide Holland with the confidence needed to brush their opponents aside.SunSport prediction – 2-0When is Netherlands vs Turkey?Netherlands’ huge quarter-final against Turkey will take place on Saturday, July 6.It is scheduled to kick off at 8pm BST – 9pm local time.Olympiastadion in Berlin is the chosen venue for this Euro 2024 tie and it can host approximately 74,475 passionate fans.Memphis Depay’s hat-trick helped the Dutch humiliate Turkey 6-1 when the sides last met in a 2021 World Cup clash.What TV channel is it on and can it be live streamed?Netherlands vs Turkey will be shown LIVE on ITV 1 in the UK.Coverage is scheduled to commence from 7pm BST – a whole hour before kick-off.Fans can also stream the contest online via the ITV X app using any compatible mobile or tablet device.Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute action of the entire match through our live blog.Can I watch it for FREE?YES!Fans can watch Netherlands vs Turkey for FREE in the UK as long as you have a valid TV license.What is the team news?Donyell Malen’s double might have earned him a spot in Ronald Koeman’s starting eleven for this quarter-final tie.That would potentially mean ex-Tottenham star Steven Bergwijn dropping to the bench.Elsewhere, Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella will be delighted to welcome back captain Hakan Calhanoglu and influential defender Samet Akaydin to the fold after they both served a one-match suspension.However, Turkey last-16 hero Merih Demiral is facing a ban for a ‘prohibited gesture’ during his celebrations.What are the odds?After 90 minutesNetherlands 8/13Draw 29/10Turkey 17/4To qualifyREAD MORE SUN STORIESNetherlands 3/10Turkey 9/4*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes are correct at time of publicationEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY More

ENGLAND’s quest for Euro 2024 glory resumes on Saturday evening against Switzerland.The two sides will meet in Dusseldorf for a place in the semi-finals.England face Switzerland on Saturday for a place in the Euro 2024 semi-finalsCredit: GettySwitzerland are bidding to reach their first-ever major tournament semi-finalCredit: GettyGareth Southgate’s side set up the clash by squeezing past Slovakia in the last 16 on Sunday.Jude Bellingham’s stoppage time equaliser sent the match to extra-time, where Harry Kane headed in the winner.Switzerland’s campaign has been a stark contrast to that of the Three Lions.The Swiss have emerged as the tournament’s dark horses after dumping out defending champions Italy last time out.READ MORE IN EURO 2024However, England have not lost to Switzerland since 1981 and have won each of their last five meetings.The two sides last faced off in March 2022, with England coming from behind to win their Wembley friendly 2-1.Switzerland are bidding to reach a major tournament semi-final for the first time, having lost their previous four quarter-finals.As for England, they have made the last eight at each of Southgate’s four tournaments in charge, winning two out of three so far.Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSWhat is their form like?Despite being far from their best, England are unbeaten at Euro 2024.Although, they have won just one of their four matches in normal time.Watch Declan Rice’s passionate defence of under-fire Gareth Southgate after last-gasp Slovakia heroicsSouthgate’s side have also suffered two defeats from eight matches this year after friendly losses to Brazil and Iceland.Switzerland, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 2024 and have not tasted defeat since losing their final qualifier to Romania in November.Murat Yakin’s side have won two and drawn two of their four matches at Euro 2024.What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?England will be without Marc Guehi through suspension after the defender picked up his second yellow card against Slovakia.Ezri Konsa is likely to come into the side to replace the Crystal Palace man.Marc Guehi will miss the match through suspensionCredit: GettyDoubts remain over Luke Shaw’s fitness and match sharpness as he continues to train ahead of the quarter-final.Shaw has not played since February, with Kieran Trippier filling in at left-back in Germany.Switzerland will welcome back Silvan Widmer from suspension after missing the win over Italy.Granit Xhaka is a fitness concern as he undergoes scans on a thigh injury, although he is expected to be okay.Granit Xhaka is a doubt due to a thigh injuryCredit: GettyWho will be the star men?Bellingham showed his star power to rescue England at the death against Slovakia.The 21-year-old now has two goals and two man of the match awards from his four appearances at the tournament.Fresh off the back of a stellar debut campaign with Real Madrid, the midfielder’s arrogance has been a breath of fresh air for the Three Lions.Switzerland have so far spread the goals across the team, with no player grabbing the spotlight as the standout star.Dan Ndoye could provide a pivotal threat to England, though, after scoring his first international goal against Germany in the group stage.The Bologna winger has started all four of Switzerland’s matches, showing his versatility by featuring in multiple positions across the attack.Ndoye’s dribbling and ability to draw fouls will provide a threat to the England defence.What have the managers said?Southgate acknowledged England’s need to improve after the Slovakia win, explaining: “There’s no question it will give the whole group belief.“We know we should be better than we’ve been but we’ve ended up with a lot of young players in important positions and trying to solve problems right the way through the four weeks of the camp.”But the standout is the way the players are dealing with it. Their togetherness, their spirit.”Meanwhile, Yakin remained calm as he spoke following his side’s win over Italy.He said: “We are focused on ourselves, we don’t want to be distracted by our opponents.”SunSport predictionDespite their differing form and the attitude surrounding their performances, history points to an England win on Saturday.The Three Lions have more experience at this level, a far superior recent major tournament record and the head-to-head edge with Switzerland.A significant improvement will be needed to reach a third semi-final in four tournaments, though.SunSport prediction – 2-0When is England vs Switzerland?England vs Switzerland will take place on Saturday, July 6.Kick off will be at 5pm BST.The Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf will host.What TV channel is England vs Switzerland on and can it be live streamed FREE?England vs Switzerland will be broadcast live on BBC One.You can live stream the match for FREE via the BBC iPlayer app/website.Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action by following SunSport’s live blog.What are the odds?Match resultEngland – 6/5Draw – 2/1Switzerland – 14/5To qualify READ MORE SUN STORIESEngland – 4/7Switzerland – 13/10*Odds courtesy of William Hill and are correct at the time of publication.EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY More

CRISTIANO RONALDO and Kylian Mbappe will have one last dance at the Euros THIS Friday as Portugal take on France in a mouthwatering quarter-final tie.Ronaldo, 39, broke down in tears thinking he had cost his nation a spot in the next round when the Portuguese idol saw his 105th-minute penalty saved during their encounter against Slovenia.Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after missing a penalty in extra timeCredit: GettyKylian Mbappe and Randal Kolo Muani celebrated France’s round of 16 winCredit: AlamyHowever, Diego Costa’s shootout heroics fired Selecao into the last-8 having saved all three of the Slovenian spot kicks.Earlier that day, France were locked in a thrilling tussle with Kevin de Bruyne’s Belgium which was labelled as the tie of the round.And although it didn’t turn out to be an amazing spectacle, French phenomenon Mbappe was still relieved to see Randal Kolo Muani’s heavily deflected effort give France the win.Neither superstar had a major impact on their respective round of 16 matches, but they’ll be desperate to put their stamp on this upcoming mammoth clash.Read more on Euro 2024EURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERSWhen is Portugal vs France?Portugal’s mouth-watering quarter-final tie against France will take place THIS Friday – July 5.The huge Euro 2024 clash is scheduled to kick off at 8pm BST.Volksparksatadion in Hamburg is the chosen venue for this thrilling match and it can host approximately 57,000 passionate fans.It ended all square when these two huge nations faced off in a 2021 Euros group stage affair.What TV channel is it on and can it be live streamed?Portugal vs France will be broadcast LIVE on BBC One in the UK.Fans can stream the entire action through the BBC iPlayer app via any compatible device.Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute coverage through our live blog. Can I watch for FREE?Yes!You can watch Portugal vs France for FREE in the UK as long as you have a valid TV licence.Most read in Euro 2024What is the team news?Portugal manager Roberto Martinez will be tempted to make a few alterations to the starting eleven following his side’s exhausting 120-plus minutes against Slovenia.While France boss Didier Deschamps has been forced into making a change in midfield due to Adrien Rabiot’s being suspended after picking up another yellow card.Kylian Mbappe will continue to wear his mask.What are the odds?In 90 minutesPortugal 11/5Draw 21/10France 13/10To qualifyPortugal 11/10France 13/20Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes are correct at time of publication More

SPAIN and Germany meet for a place in the semi-finals on Friday evening.For many, the match is better suited to the final in Berlin on July 14 than the opening quarter-final tie.Germany take on Spain for a place in the Euro 2024 semi-finals on Friday eveningCredit: GettySpain have emerged as tournament favourites after winning all four of their matchesCredit: GettyInstead, one of the tournament favourites will be sent home early when they meet in Stuttgart.Both sides have impressed so far, although Germany were fortunate to secure a controversial win over Denmark in the last 16.As for La Roja, they had to come from behind before thrashing Georgia 4-1.The two sides met in the final of Euro 2008, with Spain winning 1-0 thanks to Fernando Torres’ goal.READ MORE IN EURO 2024Meanwhile, they last played each other in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.Alvaro Morata and Niclas Fullkrug were on the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw.What is their form like?Germany head into the match unbeaten in 2024, winning six of their eight matches so far this year.The four-time world champions have not lost since suffering back-to-back defeats to Turkey and Austria in November.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSJulian Nagelsmann’s side have won three of their four matches at Euro 2024, scoring 10 goals and conceding just twice.Spain have also been in impressive form, winning six matches in a row heading into Friday’s clash.Watch brilliant moment Spain stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams play rock, paper, scissors ‘to decide who gets bottle’ Luis de la Fuente has lost just one of his last 16 matches in charge, dating back to Scotland’s surprise qualifying win in March 2023.That defeat is one of just two in 19 matches since his appointment after the 2022 World Cup.What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?Germany will welcome Jonathan Tah back from suspension to face Spain.The defender missed the win over Denmark after picking up two bookings during the group stage.Elsewhere, there are no injury issues or suspensions for Nagelsmann to worry about.Jonathan Tah returns from suspension after missing Germany’s win over DenmarkCredit: GettySpain are also free of any suspensions but could be without Aymeric Laporte through injury.The 30-year-old is a doubt due to muscle fatigue and had struggled for fitness heading into the tournament.However, a direct replacement is available with Nacho Fernandez now back to full fitness.Aymeric Laporte is an injury doubt for Spain heading into Friday’s quarter-finalCredit: GettyWho will be the star men?Jamal Musiala has been the standout performer for the host nation so far this summer.With his strike against Denmark, he now has three goals in four matches at Euro 2024.That tally currently has Musiala level with Georges Mikautadze and Ivan Schranz as the joint top scorer, although his rivals have both been knocked out.Spain have so far spread their goals across a devastating attack, although one player has shone through.Nico Williams has been in fine form alongside Lamine Yamal for De la Fuente’s side.The 21-year-old winger grabbed a stunning goal and provided an assist against Georgia in the last 16 in his best performance of the tournament to date.What have the managers said?Following Germany’s win over Denmark, Nagelsmann admitted it will be tough for anyone to beat them when at their best.He said: “There is always room to grow. Talk about the first 20 minutes in this game and it was very good, very happy with that.”But we could speed up our game in ball possession. If we do like we did in the first 20 minutes it is really, really tough to beat us.”Meanwhile, De la Fuente acknowledged the meeting with Germany could easily have been the final.Speaking after the last 16 win, he explained: “We know this next game could have been a final at a World Cup. It’s a great rival we are going to face.”SunSport predictionRecent meetings between Spain and Germany have been tight encounters, with three of the last four ending in 1-1 draws.However, Spain romped to a 6-0 victory in 2020 and have been more impressive so far this summer.The three-time winners are well worth their favourites tag.SunSport prediction – 2-1When is Spain vs Germany?Spain vs Germany will take place on Friday, June 5.Kick off will be at 5pm BST.The MHPArena in Stuttgart will host.What TV channel is Spain vs Germany on and can it be live streamed FREE?The match will be broadcast live on ITV and can be streamed for free on ITVX.What are the odds?Match resultSpain – 17/10Draw – 21/10Germany – 9/5To qualifyREAD MORE SUN STORIESSpain – 4/5Germany – 10/11*Odds courtesy of William Hill and are correct at the time of publication.EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY More