With Switzerland-Italy and the other 8th finals, the Euro finally gets to the heart of the matter – rts.ch

SWITZERLAND-ITALY: the most anticipated (Saturday, from 5:30 p.m. on RTS 2)
Obviously, the whole of Switzerland is just waiting for this, this round of 16 against the Italian friends, telling themselves that, this time, there is something to play for, something big to draw. But the Transalpines could well be more upbeat than ever, too. So you shouldn’t have swollen ankles, or melons, on the Swiss side. But it is true that eighteen years after missing a poster which would have been great for having been too clumsy on penalties against Ukraine at the 2006 World Cup, the Helvetii will be able to come up against the Squadra Azzurra in a knockout match and that is very exciting. They must do this by chasing away the memory of the group stage of Euro 2020, during which Granit May 1993 or even November 12, 2021, at the start of the Yakin era, when in Rome they held off the European champions. If there’s one thing to drop, it’s Saturday. Not the day before. Not the next day. SATURDAY. To start a new chapter. You believe in it?

History: 61 clashes, 29 Italian victories, 24 draws, 8 Swiss successes.

GERMANY-DENMARK: the revenge of 1992 (Saturday, at 9:00 p.m. on RTS 2)
Water has flowed under the bridges, of course, since June 26, 1992, direct oppositions have also taken place, but this 8th final of the Euro still has the scent of revenge from 32 years ago years ago, when the wonderful Danish “tourists” had deprived the Germans of continental title in Sweden. A historic run, punctuated by a 2-0 victory in the final, had taken Denmark to the top, while the day before the competition, its players were still at the beach or in front of the barbecue sipping beers… “I was 12 years old, I remember it very wellnoted Christian Poulsen, now assistant coach. It is a mythical moment in the history of our football. If we can repeat it….” Today, however, the decor has changed and, at home, the “Mannschaft”, although muddled so far, will not want to be surprised. The fact remains that Christian Eriksen and his partners have the game to annoy the hosts. For 30 years, confrontations between the two countries have never turned into a demonstration. Possible surprise?

History: 27 clashes, 15 German victories, 4 draws, 8 Danish successes.

ENGLAND-SLOVAKIA: the “Three Lions” under pressure (Sunday, at 6:00 p.m. on RTS 2)
After showing absolutely nothing in the group stage, England finds itself under pressure. It is considered (considered?) to be one of the two favourites of this Euro with France but is far from having assumed this status. But it is now, when the matches count a little more than the others, that the big teams can reveal themselves. Is the “Three Lions” one of them? Jude Bellingham and Co. will try to answer in the affirmative. Opposite, Slovakia, which plays interesting football but has never beaten England, has everything to gain. Suffice to say that the English, who remember having been held to a draw by their future opponent during Euro 2016, will have an interest in shooting (and scoring) first.

History: 6 clashes, 5 English victories, 1 draw, 0 Slovakian successes.

SPAIN-GEORGIA: the most unbalanced round of 16 (Sunday, at 9:00 p.m. on RTS 2)
On paper, this is clearly the most unbalanced round of 16 matchup. What about on the ground? So far, Spain has clearly been the most inspired selection on the field, but Georgia has surprised, by playing pleasant football, as well as by making history, thanks to its accession to this knockout phase. Can the Kvaratskhelia-Mikautadze pair cause misery to the Spanish defense, considered to be La Roja’s potential weak point, but not yet really tested so far? Faced with Iberian offensive power, can the Georgians still hold and strike? Here are some questions among others. Willy Sagnol, Georgian coach, undoubtedly remembers that in the round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup, he and France took out… Spain. A sign?

History: 2 clashes, 2 Spanish victories, 0 draw, 0 Georgian success.

FRANCE-BELGIUM: curious neighbors’ celebration (Monday, at 6 p.m. on RTS 2)
Imagine this: you go on holiday abroad, and when you’re about to lie down on the deckchair, who shows up on the one next to you? Your neighbour! This is what will happen to the French and Belgians on 1 July for what will not be a public holiday, but a day of the round of 16, supposed to mark the start of the great adventure for some and the return home for others. Although they met again in 2021 in the Nations League, where Les Bleus won again, their recent history remains marked by their semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, where the Red Devils dominated, but without winning (0-1 defeat).

Since then, the Flat Country has been furious and dreams of bringing down France, as the Swiss did at Euro 2020. However, Didier Deschamps’ men have been warned. Except that they too, like the English, did not light up the group stage. But we are used to seeing our neighbors gain strength over the course of a competition, which should not be missed this summer either. “They say it’s a shame to have fallen into the toughest part of the table, but I’m not sure that Spain or Portugal are happy to see us in this part either“, rightly points out French international Youssouf Fofana. To be verified on the green rectangle.

History: 75 clashes, 26 French victories, 19 draws, 30 Belgian successes.

PORTUGAL-SLOVENIA: an expected Ronaldo (Monday, at 9:00 p.m. on RTS 2)
Only one clash has taken place between Portugal and Slovenia. Last March, the Lusitanians left the field beaten 2-0 in Ljubljana. Surprise! Three months and a few days later, do Jan Oblak and his partners really have what it takes to disgust Cristiano Ronaldo and his cronies once again? Without being flamboyant, but by showing themselves to be tenacious, the Slovenians have proven that they are capable of annoying good teams. But Portugal, who were embarrassed in front of Georgia, seem to have enough arguments, especially offensive, to not be trapped again. They are counting above all on the awakening of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been very discreet until now in this tournament. Will CR7 pull out the ketchup?

History: 1 clash, 1 Slovenian victory, 0 draw, 0 Portuguese success.

ROMANIA-NETHERLANDS: a chance for the Romanians (Tuesday, at 6:00 p.m. on RTS 2)
Romania showed some very good things in the group stage, notably by walking over Ukraine (3-0). Pumped up, they would be wrong not to believe in it against the Netherlands who did the opposite, showing themselves to be hardly enthusiastic against Poland, not exactly transcendent against France and downright bad defensively against Austria. Result: the “Oranje” are in their little shoes and Virgil van Dijk, their captain, is shown at the front to denounce the general attitude of a collective that is not one.There has to be some luck in this team, in the attitude“, thundered the boss. Despite a solid squad on paper, the Batavians, too fragile, are not even favorites against Nicolae Stanciu and his cronies. Unless the alarm has rung?

History: 11 clashes, 7 Dutch victories, 3 draws, 1 Romanian success.

AUSTRIA-Türkiye: to erase Euro 2020 (Tuesday, at 9:00 p.m. on RTS 2)
Turkey has already succeeded in part of its mission, making us forget its catastrophic Euro 2020 (3 matches, 3 defeats). Even if they had reached the round of 16 at the time, Austria would also like to erase the memory of that time, because they had been knocked out at that stage of the competition in extra time by Italy, not without having been the strongest on the ground. Regrets had spoiled the summer of 2021. Today, the objective remains access to the quarter-finals for (the excellent) Marcel Sabitzer and his selection, who finished at the top of group D, ahead of France. To do this, they will have to overcome the obstacle represented by the Turks supported by a part of Germany and “all out” since they tripped up the Czechs. A promising Tuesday evening!

History: 17 clashes, 9 Austrian victories, 1 draw, 7 Turkish successes.

Arnaud Cerutti