Euro Semifinal Predictions

Tyler Stearns |

The Euro Semifinals are finally here. Spain will be facing off against France in a heavyweight showdown. England will take on the Netherlands in what will be another interesting matchup. Both games are going to make for some great entertainment.

Lamine Yamal, Via The Guardian

Spain looks to be the favorite in the tournament at the moment, as they have scored 11 goals in five games while only conceding twice. Their two young wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have stolen the show, combining for 6 G/A in five games. Fabian Ruiz has also been a star in the midfield, scoring two goals and assisting another. Of course, Rodri has been amazing, but many lesser-known stars on the team have shown out this tournament.

France has been playing very poor offensively. Kylian Mbappe was the sole goalscorer for the entire team when he scored a penalty kick versus Poland. All other wins have been decided by own goals or penalty shootouts. The defense has been rock solid, though. William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano have been rocks at the back, stopping every opponent's attack and playing well on the ball. The fullbacks, Kounde and Hernandez, have also been great defensively. Kante has come back to international play and already won multiple man of the matches. Tchouameni and Camavinga have played well too.

England is an odd team. They played well against Switzerland throughout the entire game despite only creating very few chances. They conceded off of a fluke deflection to the Swiss but bounced back with a signature Saka finish. Bellingham has been the team's best player despite two poor group-stage games. The defense has also been great, only conceding three goals in the five games so far.

The Netherlands has flown under the radar this tournament. Though they finished third in their group behind Austria and France, they have been in great form in the knockout rounds. Cody Gakpo has been nothing but sensational for the Dutch, scoring three goals (four if you include the "own goal" versus Turkey) and assisting one too. They switched to a back three versus Turkey after subbing on Micky Van de Ven, which proved to work tremendously. There is a lot of creativity on the field for them at all times with the likes of Denzel Dumfries, Xavi Simons, Gakpo, and Memphis Depay.

As previously mentioned, Spain is the clear favorite to win the tournament. They have dominated every opponent and will continue to put on an offensive masterclass versus the French. Unfortunately, France can't handle the Spanish if they are going to rely solely on their defense to take them to extra time. Spain will win soundly, 2-0.

England and the Netherlands have looked good and bad at the same time (specifically England). The Dutch have been great in the last two games but looked poor in their group versus France and Austria. England has looked average to above average throughout the entire tournament, which just isn't acceptable considering the squad quality. The game is hard to call, but considering how the Three Lions have been able to win games despite their poor style of play, England will scrape another victory, 1-1 (5-3 in pens to the English).