The final day of matches in the Euro 2024 group stage will complete the round of 16, with Groups E and F closing out the opening phase of the tournament.
The development scenarios in Group E are complicated by the fact that for the first time in the history of the European Championship, the four teams, Belgium, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, are tied with three points after two matches . So anything can happen.
In Group F, Portugal has already secured first place in the group and a round of 16 spot on July 1 in Frankfurt, Germany, against a yet-to-be-determined third-place team.
Slovakia – Romania: 5 p.m.
The two teams, who produced stunning results to open Euro 2024, were each beaten last time out to leave the four teams locked on four points heading into the final round of group matches.
After pulling off the biggest upset in the history of the competition in terms of ranking gap on the first day, Slovakia were cruelly beaten by Ukraine after taking a 1-0 lead in the first half. time. Roman Yaremchuk’s excellent finish condemned Francesco Calzona’s men to a 2-1 defeat.
Romania, meanwhile, were the target of a strong Belgian performance on Saturday and lost 2-0 after surprising Ukraine. Edward Iordanescu’s men are top of Group E heading into matchday three, and a draw on Thursday in Frankfurt will see both underrated teams qualify for the knockout stages, whatever happens in the other match of the group.
Ukraine – Belgium: 5 p.m.
Ukraine and Belgium had a discouraging start to Group E, with Ukraine soundly beaten by a dynamic Romanian side and Belgium losing unexpectedly to Slovakia, but victories for both teams on matchday two left the situation in the group remarkably tense with all four nations tied. Three points. The calculation, however, is quite simple; any team that wins is guaranteed to finish in the top two. If everyone draws, it gets complicated.
Having put its nerves to the test and having not failed in its victory against Slovakia, Ukraine can rely on the experience of the Belgian championship with Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo), Roman Yaremchuk (Gent, Club Brugge) , Bogdan Mykhaylichenko (Anderlecht) and Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genk) all having played in Belgium. Additionally, Oleksandr Zinchenko knows two of the Belgian stars well, he plays at Arsenal with Leandro Trossard and previously spent six years at Man City alongside Kevin De Bruyne.
Czechia – Türkiye: 8 p.m.
Czechia and Turkey are both aiming to secure their place in the knockout stages of Euro 2024 when they clash in their final Group F encounter on Wednesday.
Czechia have scored just one point from their opening two matches after a late defeat to Portugal and a hard-fought draw against Georgia. However, due to results elsewhere, they will be guaranteed safe passage to the last 16 if they beat Turkey in their final group match. A draw is unlikely to be enough and will see them finish rock bottom should Georgia beat Portugal.
Meanwhile, Turkey simply must avoid defeat to secure their place in the next round, finishing in second place behind group winners Portugal. Having lost 3-0 to the 2016 European champions following a victory in the opening match, Turkey cannot overtake them in the standings.
Georgia – Portugal: 8 p.m.
Georgia know they must pull off a huge upset to reach the last 16 of Euro 2024 as they prepare to face Portugal this evening.
Willy Sagnol takes his team to Gelsenkirchen after claiming their first ever Euro point against the Czech Republic this weekend. But they simply have to win to reach the round of 16 and not many people will like them in this match.
Portugal are already qualified after beating the Czech Republic in their tournament opener before producing a much more convincing performance against Turkey last time out. Roberto Martinez’s men still need a point to secure first place in Group F.
