Explainers

SPAIN take on tournament debutants Georgia in a huge Euro 2024 round-of-16 clash on Sunday.La Roja cruised through the group stages this month, becoming the only team to claim maximum points.Spain took maximum points from the group stagesCredit: GettyGeorgia beat Portugal to book a spot in the knockoutsCredit: GettyLuis de la Fuente’s side beat Croatia 3-0 in their opening game before winning 1-0 against Italy and Albania respectively.They have now been tipped to go the distance in the knockouts – but face a difficult challenge against Georgia.Football fans have fallen in love with the Crusaders at this summer’s tournament.Despite losing 3-1 to Turkey in their opening game – which was immediately dubbed a European classic – Willy Sagnol’s side have gone above and beyond expectations.Read More on Euro 2024Georgia drew 1-1 with Czech Republic before earning a historic 2-0 win over Euro 2016 champions Portugal on Wednesday, meaning they progressed to the knockouts as one of the best third-placed teams.The question is – will the underdogs cause another upset this time around?What is their form like?Spain go into Sunday’s match with a 100% record so far at Euro 2024.While they are yet to lose a match, they are also yet to concede a single goal having kept clean sheets against Croatia, Italy and Albania.Most read in Euro 2024EURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERSAs for Georgia, Willy Sagnol’s side registered one win, a draw and a defeat in the group stages.Following a slow start, they went on to beat eventual Group C winners Portugal thanks to goals from Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze, who is currently leading the Golden Boot race.Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s incredible history with Cristiano RonaldoTeam NewsDe la Fuente made 10 changes to his squad ahead of Spain’s match against Albania, but the likes of Nico Williams, Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Alvaro Morata are all set to return to the starting line-up.Rodri will also be back following a one-game ban.Rodri will be back for SpainCredit: GettyBut Nacho Fernandez and Ayoze Perez are battling to be fully fit following injury setbacks.As for Georgia, Anzor Mekvabishvili is suspended so he will likely be replaced by Giorgi Chakvetadze.Solomon Kvirkvelia and Giorgi Tsitaishvili are expected to return with Kvaratskhelia leading the attack.Ones to watchSpain youngster Lamine Yamal has impressed since making his major tournament debut.The 16-year-old became the youngest footballer to play at a European Championship when he started for La Roja against Croatia earlier this month.He also provided an assist during the opening match.Lamine Yamal has impressed for Spain this summerCredit: GettyGeorges Mikautadze is leading the Golden Boot raceCredit: GettyMeanwhile, Georgia forward Georges Mikautadze is in great form.The 23-year-old is currently leading the Euro 2024 Golden Boot race with three goals, beating the likes of Cody Gakpo and Jamal Musiala.What has been said?Looking ahead to Sunday’s match, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said: “We have maximum respect for them. They are a team that is having a great tournament, that has defeated Portugal; and that, due to the experience we have, we have seen that they have been improving and progressing in their performance.”We will have to give our best version to have a chance of going through.Luis de la Fuente insists his team will respect GeorgiaCredit: GettyWilly Sagnol has praised his team for exceeding expectationsCredit: Getty“We have seen that they have changed the system somewhat, but not the idea they have, with players who come out very quickly in transitions.”We will have to be very careful. The experience of having played matches and the security of having qualified, with the motivation that comes from beating Portugal, make them more dangerous.”They, thanks to that trajectory, will have security. We, too, with ours.“We have to reaffirm our path, our idea, and continue to grow. In our heads, our hearts and our legs are continuing to improve. Our players understand that. If we want to go far, the improvement must be constant.”Following Georgia’s impressive win over Portugal, Willy Sagnol said: “To some players, I even told them, remember when you were 16, 17, 18, you were playing without any foes, then do exactly the same. And I think they did it brilliantly today, above all expectations.”There are benefits to being tournament underdogs. When you’re the small team, you know you have nothing to lose.”The only thing we said before the competition is whatever happened, we don’t want any regrets after the competition, the regret of maybe not having played our football or maybe not having enjoyed the competition as much as we should have done.”So, you have no weight on your shoulders. It’s difficult when you’re France, when you’re England, when you’re Spain, when you’re Portugal, because you’re under pressure, because people expect you to win.”The only responsibility we had was to make the Georgian nation proud of their players. And I think we’ve done it the best way.”He continued: “We just take the things the way it comes. And Spain is coming. Spain is probably the best team of the first round. So it’s another big challenge for us.”EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYEURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERSWhen is Spain vs Georgia?Spain’s clash against Georgia will take place on Sunday, June 30. The game will kick off at 8pm BST. The RheinEnergie Stadium in Cologne, Germany, will play host. What channel is it and can it be live streamed?Spain vs Georgia will be shown live on ITV1 and ITV1 HD in the UK. You can live stream the action from ITV X app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device. Can I watch for FREE?Yes, the game is free to watch on ITV, so long as you have a valid TV licence. READ MORE SUN STORIESOddsSpain – 1/5Draw – 11/2Georgia – 14/1Spain to win tie – 2/13Georgia to win tie – 11/1*Odds courtesy of William Hill and correct at time of publication. 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FRANCE are aiming to forget the group stage and live up to their fierce reputation with a victory over Belgium in their last-16 tie of Euro 2024.Les Bleus have received much criticism back home after failing to win their final two group matches and finishing second in Group D.France need to kick-on and return to their normal outstanding style at Euro 2024Credit: GettyBelgium wimped through Group E after drawing with UkraineCredit: GettyFrance are out to win the Euros for a third time having failed to make good on their label as favourites in the last two tournaments.Didier Deschamps has faced up to plenty of criticism amid claims that off-pitch political matters are disrupting the French camp.And a slight 1-0 victory over Austria in the group opener, following by two lacklustre draws has left a lot to be desired.Of course, Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose didn’t help things, but the French need him back and firing on all fronts if they are to advance to the final.As well as Kevin De Bruyne’s Belgian side, France have Germany, Spain, Portugal on their brutal side of the Euro 2024 draw.But Belgium can claim to have even bigger issues after being BOOED off by their fans following their goalless draw with Ukraine.In their away kit inspired by Tintin, they were extremely reliant on their most Tintin-like player, De Bruyne.The Red Devils also scored just twice in their three games, with Romelu Lukaku cutting an increasingly frustrated figure after having three goals ruled out by VAR.Most read in Euro 2024Belgium also finished runners up in Group E and only achieved one victory – a 2-0 win over Romania.However, one of these teams has to progress with Portugal or Slovenia awaiting in the quarter-finals.Here is everything you need to know ahead of France’s showdown clash with Belgium on Monday.Kylian Mbappe’s new mask revealed as France training mask is bannedBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSFrance Euro 2024 guideFRANCE are the one nation all England fans are truly afraid of.They are many punters’ favourites after knocking the Three Lions out of the 2022 World Cup and will be hoping to do much better than at Euro 2020, when they lost to Switzerland in the last 16.MANAGER: Didier DeschampsComing up to 12 years in the job, the only thing missing from his CV is a European Championship.STAR MAN: Kylian MbappeMbappe’s PSG may have underachieved on the European stage but he remains France’s most deadly threat, with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup final hat-trick to his name.How France attackExpect to see France play in a fluid 4-3-3 – which becomes 4-2-3-1 in possession – throughout the tournament.Giroud acts as the focal point in the attack with the two wide players and Griezmann as No 10 supporting.How France defendWe can expect to see France defend high with an emphasis on winning back possession as far up the pitch as possible.France will stagger their defensive shape when the opposition are in possession.Read the full France Euro 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags.What is their form like?France managed one win and two draws in the group stages and came out second behind shock contenders Austria.France have struggled to get up to speed this summer and are yet to put on a convincing performance.Les Bleus have failed to score from open play at Euro 2024, after an Austrian own-goal secured a French win over Austria and Mbappe’s penalty in their 1-1 draw with Poland.They were then lucky to avoid defeat in their goalless draw with the Netherlands – who finished and qualified in third place.The Dutch thought they’d won it when Xavi Simons slotted past X inside 70 minutes before VAR controversially overturned it due to a goalkeeper obstruction.France were let off after Xavi Simons’ late winner was ruled out for a Denzel Dumfries offsideMeanwhile Belgium suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Slovakia in their opening tie, but beat Group E winners Romania 2-0 in the second match.Before being out classed by a very unlucky Ukrainian side and limply passing through to the knockouts.What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?Mbappe was fit to start against Poland having broken his nose in their Euro 2024 opener, which will see him play out the rest of the tournament in a face mask.France brought Bradley Barcola into the line-up for Antoine Griezmann, after the youngster scored a hattrick in their mid-tournament friendly. Olivier Giroud and Marcus Thuram will also hope to get the nod in attack, perhaps moving Mbappe out wide.Belgium boss Domenico Tedesco has struggled with the problem of how to fit their wealth of attacking players into a coherent system.Sevilla winger Dodi Lukebakio is back from a ban to offer an alternative to Leandro Trossard, who has so far failed to impress.Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku has also failed to set the world alight, so Timeoue Bakayoko could get the nod to start on the left-wing.Up front, RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda hit 24 goals in the Bundesliga last season but looks set to remain on the bench behind Lukaku.Who will be the star men?Mbappe was the top goalscorer of the Qatar World Cup in 2022 (8 goals) – and most attacking finesse comes through him.The 25-year-old is the difference maker but N’ Golo Kante will step up to help him deal with Belgium’s talented midfield.France need Kylian Mbappe to ignore his maskCredit: RexThe Red Devils need De Bruyne to produce a world class performance to get them through this tie with tournament specialists France.De Bruyne created the only two chances against Ukraine, but Lukaku let him and side down on both occassions. The Man City midfield maestro will need help though – Trossard needs to step up, as well as Doku.Kevin De Bruyne is the man to watch for BelgiumCredit: GettyWhat have the managers said?French boss Deschamps insisted his side will only improve after their disappointing group-stage showing.Deschamps, 55, said: “It is a new competition that is starting. “You cannot always read a competition just from the group stage. We deserve to be second, I am satisfied.”Now it is going to be a little bit more down to the wire; now we’ve only got the big teams but that is the name of the game.”I would be a lot more concerned if we were not creating chances but obviously there is room for improvement.”Didier Deschamps has begged French fans for patienceCredit: GettyMeanwhile Belgium boss Tedesco claimed Belgium’s latest performance was impacted by their delayed pre-match arrival. He said: “We arrived at the stadium in circumstances I’ve never seen before.”It took one hour to come from the hotel with a police escort. The road was completely free, but they slowed down to 20-25 kilometres per hour. Every traffic light was red. “I had two minutes to make a preparation talk and we had to reduce the warmup. It’s unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable.“There were laser pens being shone in our eyes. There were many things in the first game and we still qualified, that’s why I’m so proud of the players.”EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYSunSport predictionA meeting between two teams that struggled to find the back of the net in the group stage means this could be a low-scoring affair.It could come down to a moment of magic to settle the match, and France boast a greater number of options capable of producing the goods.SunSport says 1-0 France.What are the odds?France – 5/6Draw – 23/10Belgium – 4/1France to win tie – 2/5Belgium to win tie – 7/4*Odds courtesy of William Hill and correct at time of publication.When is France vs Belgium?France’s big last 16 game against Belgium will take place on Monday, July 1. The game will kick off at 5pm BST. The Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, will play host. READ MORE SUN STORIESWhat channel is it and can it be live streamed?France vs Belgium will be shown live on ITV1 and ITV1 HD in the UK. You can live stream the action from the ITV X app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device. Can I watch for FREE?Yes, the game is FREE to watch on ITV 1 and the ITV X app, so long as you have a valid TV licence. More

AUSTRIA take on Turkey in the last-16 of Euro 2024 on Tuesday night.Ralph Rangnick’s side topped Group D ahead of European giants France and the Netherlands.Austria finished as Group D winnersCredit: REUTERSCenk Tosun bagged a 94th-minute winner against Czech RepublicCredit: GETTYAustria were deserved winners in a five-goal thriller against Holland last time out and head into the last-16 with great momentum.Former Everton striker Cenk Tosun bagged a 94th-minute winner to fire Turkey to a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in their group stage finale.Vincenzo Montella’s side finished runners-up to Portugal in Group F.EURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERSWhen is Austria vs Turkey?Austria’s last 16 clash against Turkey will take place on Tuesday, July 2.The game will kick off at 8pm BST.The Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, will play host to the big game.What channel is it and can it be live streamed?Austria vs Turkey will be shown live on ITV1 in the UK.You can live stream the action from the ITVX app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.Can I watch for FREE?Yes, you can watch the game for FREE on ITV, so long as you have a valid TV licence.Alternatively, you can follow SunSport’s live blog to keep up to date with all the action.Team newsPatrick Wimmer started against the Netherlands but will be unavailable for the last-16 clash against Turkey after he picked up his second booking during the group stage.Vincenzo Montella will have a selection headache as captain Hakan Calhanoglu and centre-back Samet Akaydin are suspended.Most read in FootballBut Turkey will have defender Abdulkerim Bardakci back available for section after serving a one-match ban.OddsMatch resultAustria – 10/11Draw – 5/2Turkey – 16/5To win the tieAustria to win tie – 4/9Turkey to win tie – 13/8*Odds courtesy of William Hill and are correct at the time of publication. More

NETHERLANDS face Romania in a tough last-16 clash at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night.Edward Iordanescu’s side are one of the biggest surprise packages of the Euros so far after they topped Group E ahead of Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine.Netherlands were beaten 3-2 by Austra last time outCredit: GETTYRomania were crowned Group E winnersCredit: APThe Romanians ended their group stage with a 1-1 draw with England’s last-16 opponents SlovakiaMeanwhile, the Netherlands have been underwhelming so far at Euro 2024 and only managed to sneak through to the knockout stages as one of the best-ranked third-placed sides.The Dutch ended Group D with a 3-2 loss to Austria, which saw Ralph Rangnick’s side take top seed ahead of France and Holland.EURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERSWhen is Romania vs Netherlands?Holland’s last 16 tie against Romania will take place on Tuesday, July 2.The game will kick off at 5pm BST.The Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, will play host to the big game.What channel is it and can it be live streamed?Holland vs Romania will be shown live on BBC One in the UK.You can live stream the action from the BBC iPlayer, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.Can I watch for FREE?Yes, you can watch the game for FREE, so long as you have a valid TV licence.Alternatively, you can follow SunSport’s live blog to keep up to date with all the action.Team newsRomania will be without the suspended Nicusor Bancu after he picked up two bookings during the group stage.Ronald Koeman has changed his starting line-up for every game at Euro 2024 so far.Most read in Euro 2024Youngster Xavi Simons will be looking to return to the eleven, while Denzel Dumfries is expected to start in place of Lutsharel Geertruida.OddsMatch resultRomania – 7/1Draw – 16/5Netherlands – 4/9To win the tieRomania to win tie – 6/1Netherlands to win tie – 2/5*Odds courtesy of William Hill and are correct at the time of publication. More

PORTUGAL begin the knockout stage with a tough last-16 clash against Slovenia on Monday night.Roberto Martinez’s side were stunned in their last Group F game, losing 2-0 to Georgia in Gelsenkirchen.Cristiano Ronaldo is still looking for his first goal at Euro 2024Credit: GETTYBenjamin Sesko is expected to lead the line for Slovenia once againCredit: GETTYDespite their shock defeat, Cristiano Ronaldo and Co secured their status as group winners as they had a better head-to-head record than Turkey.Meanwhile, Slovenia earnt their spot in the last-16 by being one of the best-ranked third-placed sides from the group stage.Matjaz Kek’s men ended Group C with a 0-0 stalemate with Euro 2024 favourites England.EURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERSTeam newsPortugal will be boosted by the return of winger Rafael Leao after he served his one-match ban against Georgia.Starman and skipper Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to lead the line once again as he looks to score his first goal of Euro 2024.And Slovenia gaffer Matjaz Kek is expected to play the same starting eleven he has played in every game so far in Germany.When is Portugal vs Slovenia?Portugal’s last 16 tie against Slovenia will take place on Monday, July 1.The game will kick off at 8pm BST.The Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, will play host.What channel is it and can it be live streamed?Portugal vs Slovenia will be shown live on BBC One in the UK.You can live stream the action from the BBC iPlayer, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.Most read in FootballCan I watch for FREE?Yes, you can watch the game for FREE, so long as you have a valid TV licence.Alternatively, you can follow SunSport’s live blog to keep up to date with all the action.OddsMatch resultPortugal – 2/5Draw – 17/5Slovenia – 8/1To win the tiePortugal to win tie – 2/6Slovenia to win tie – 7/2*Odds courtesy of William Hill and are correct at the time of publication. More