The knockout stage continues with the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Portugal looking to reach the quarter-finals.
The UEFA EURO 2020 knockout stage continues on Sunday as the Netherlands face the Czech Republic and Belgium tackle holders Portugal for places in the quarter-finals.
We preview the action in the second set of round of 16 ties.
18:00: Netherlands vs Czech Republic (Budapest)
The Netherlands will surely begin this game as favourites after striding through Group C with a trio of wins. Having missed out on both EURO 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Oranje have impressed on their return to the international stage and finished as group stage top scorers with eight goals. Georginio Wijnaldum accounted for three of those, although two-time Star of the Match Denzel Dumfries has also been a handful for opposition defences with two.
The Dutch will have to be at their best once again to break down a stubborn Czech Republic side. Although Jaroslav Šilhavý’s charges went through as one of the best third-placed teams, they kept a clean sheet in their opening 2-0 win against Scotland, drew 1-1 with Croatia and were only narrowly beaten by England in Group D. Three-goal forward Patrik Schick has shown he can be decisive too.
Key stat: Šilhavý was assistant coach when the Czech Republic recovered from 2-0 down to defeat the Netherlands 3-2 in the group stage at EURO 2004, though the only previous knockout contest between the nations came in 1976, when Czechoslovakia won their semi-final 3-1 after extra time.
21:00: Belgium vs Portugal (Seville)
The day’s second game has all the ingredients to be an instant EURO classic as in-form Belgium take on the title holders. The Red Devils won all three Group B assignments and have looked unstoppable going forward, with Kevin De Bruyne (one goal, two assists) and Romelu Lukaku (three goals) particularly ruthless. They have conceded just once so far, although their rearguard will now face the sternest of tests against serial record-breaker Cristiano Ronaldo.
The evergreen Portugal forward is top scorer with five goals after his double in the draw with France, taking his overall final tournament tally to 14. Following victory against Hungary and a heavy defeat by Germany, Portugal reached this stage as one of the best third-placed teams, sparking comparisons with their triumphant 2016 campaign. Will history repeat itself?
Key stat: Belgium are on a 13-game winning run in EURO competition, including qualifiers, scoring 47 goals and letting in just four. They are just one victory away from matching the record, set by Germany between 2010 and 2012.
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