With six out of the eight quarter-finalists already confirmed, the final day of Round of 16 action in UEFA Euro 2024 will give us the final two quarter-finalists.
In the early kick-off, we have surprise package Romania hoping to cause another upset against an inconsistent Dutch side, while the final Round of 16 fixture takes us to Leipzig where the high-flying Austria take on a shaky Türkiye side in a bid to secure their first-ever quarter-finals berth in a European Championship.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the final day of the Euro 2024 Round of 16 action has in store for us.
By making the Round of 16 in this year’s Euros, Romania have ended their 24-year exile from the knockout stages of major tournaments, having last progressed beyond the group stage of a European Championship in 2000 and falling at the first hurdle in the 2008 and 2016 editions.
Although triumphing in just one of their last seven games in all tournaments does not provide Romania with much scope for optimism, their upcoming foes have also not hit the heights expected of them in Germany thus far, underlined by their third-place finish in the group stage.
However, the Netherlands can also reflect on the positives of avoiding being in the same knockout bracket as France, Spain, Germany, and Portugal in the knockout rounds, and with Italy now clearing out their lockers, the Dutch remain the only team left in their eight-nation path to have ever won the men’s European Championship (in 1988).
Furthermore, the Oranje have been subjected to defeat in just one of their previous 13 ties with Romania, having gone down 1-0 in a Euro 2008 qualifier before responding with a 2-0 win in the group stage of the Euro 2008 main draw in what remains the two’s sole major tournament battle to date.
Romanian boss Edward Iordanescu, who has lost left-back Nicusor Bancu to an accumulation of yellow cards, will have to make alterations to his backline. On a brighter note, two-goal man Razvan Marin has been training fully after a brief period on the sidelines due to overload.
In contrast, every Dutch player should be available for selection in Munich, but a tactical change is expected in midfield after Joey Veerman was sacrificed after just 35 minutes in their final-day group stage loss to Austria. The PSV Eindhoven man will most likely drop out for the returning Xavi Simons, whose recall will push Tijjani Reijnders into a deeper role alongside Jerdy Schouten, who will miss any quarter-final action if he is cautioned on Tuesday.
Romania
Form (all competitions, most recent first): D-L-W-D-D
Most recent result: Slovakia 1-1 Romania, Euro 2024 Group E
European Qualifying: Finished top of Group I with 22 points
Netherlands
Form (all competitions, most recent first): L-D-W-W-W
Most recent result: Netherlands 2-3 Austria, Euro 2024 Group D
European Qualifying: Finished 2nd in Group B, with 18 points.
Despite their heroics so far, Romania’s dampening loss to an otherwise disappointing Belgium side showed that the big boys can still expose their frailties.
While the Netherlands have not shown what they are truly capable of so far, Ronald Koeman’s attackers should come up trumps to set up a quarter-final showdown with either Türkiye or group-stage foes Austria.
Romania 0-2 Netherlands
Goalkeeper: Florin Nita
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké, Denzel Dumfries
Midfielders: Nicolae Stanciu, Rãzvan Marin, Denis Man, Xavi Simons, Tijjani Reijnders
Forwards: Cody Gakpo, Memphis Depay
Captain: Cody Gakpo
Vice-captain: Memphis Depay
Also watch: UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 preview
Ralf Rangnick’s men were handed a tough draw alongside the Oranje and tournament favourites France, but they accrued six points from a possible nine to finish top of the pile, ahead of Les Bleus, who were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by already-eliminated Poland on the final day.
Austria have qualified for the knockout rounds of a major tournament for only the fourth time ever, having done so at the 1934 and 1954 World Cups and Euro 2020.
Rangnick’s high-octane attacking side are now vying to reach Austria’s first European Championship quarter-final, and recent results suggest they could be ready to break new ground, having won 14 of their last 19 matches, losing just two.
The Turks, on the other hand, set up this clash by claiming a dramatic 2-1 win over Czechia in their final Group F game, when veteran striker Cenk Tosun struck in second-half stoppage time to seal a place in the last 16.
Vincenzo Montella’s youthful side, having had the second-youngest starting XI on average during the group stage, have reached the latter stages of the Euros for just a third time ever, and for the first time since 2008, when they memorably made it all the way to the semis.
In terms of head-to-head encounters, Austria smashed Türkiye 6-1 in Vienna during the spring international period, when Michael Gregoritsch helped himself to a hattrick before the hour mark at Ernst-Happel-Stadion.
VfL Wolfsburg winger Patrick Wimmer must serve a suspension, so either Konrad Laimer or Christoph Baumgartner—the latter of whom has been directly involved in nine goals across his last eight international appearances—should be in the running to step up from the bench.
However, no fewer than eight men are set to miss Austria’s potential quarter-final clash if booked, the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Christoph Baumgartner, and Laimer among them.
Montella, meanwhile, must do without captain Hakan Çalhanoglu and centre-back Samet Akaydin on Tuesday, the two having picked up their second bookings of the tournament against Czechia. Akaydin is also struggling with a muscle strain and joined back-up goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir in missing training on Monday, the latter doing so only as a precautionary measure.
Abdülkerim Bardakci is back from suspension, meanwhile, and should join Merih Demiral at the heart of the Turkish back four.
Austria
Form (all competitions, most recent first): W-W-L-D-W
Most recent result: Netherlands 2-3 Austria, Euro 2024 Group D
European Qualifying: Finished 2nd in Group F, with 19 points.
Türkiye
Form (all competitions, most recent first): W-L-W-L-D
Most recent result: Czechia 1-2 Türkiye, Euro 2024 Group F
European Qualifying: Finished 1st in Group D with 17 points
The talented Turkish side possess all the tools to unlock almost any opponent, but they remain defensively vulnerable and are sure to miss their skipper in Leipzig.
Austria, on the other hand, will have had a week between matches by the time kick off comes around, so executing their pressing game should not be a problem. If they can overcome heightened expectations, they are heavy favourites to make it through to the last eight.
Austria 2-1 Türkiye
Goalkeeper: Mert Günok
Defenders: Mert Müldür, Ferdi Kadioglu, Stefan Posch, Phillipp Mwene
Midfielders: Arda Güler, Orkan Köçkü, Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer
Forwards: Marko Arnautovic
Captain: Christoph Baumgartner
Vice-Captain: Marcel Sabitzer
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