Euro 2024 & Copa America: semi-finals kick off!
by Tyler Doty | by Tyler Doty
Spain vs France, Euro 2024 Blues?
The two big favorites in our Euro 2024 prediction clash in the tournament's first semi-final! On paper, it's a huge match between two equal sides: La Roja and Les Bleus. But in reality, Spain are coming into the match as the big favorites given their form in this tournament. They remain unbeaten and have been firing on all cylinders.
As you'll recall, they started the group phase with 3 wins over Croatia (3-0), Italy (1-0) and Albania (1-0). A perfect record of 9 points out of 9, putting them at the top of the group and continuing their form through the quarter-finals. Rodri's team began the knockout phase against one of the tournament's surprises, Georgia.
And it was a comprehensive 4-1 victory, achieved without any pressure, that saw the Spaniards through to the quarter-finals, where they faced tournament hosts, Germany! It was a superb encounter, which La Roja won in the end, thanks to a goal from midfielder Mikel Merino in the 119th minute... However, the match did cost 3 first-team players their suspensions for the semi-final against Les Bleus! Find out more about our Spain vs France prediction.
Spain and France are set to clash in style.
And, as we were saying, the French team is not in the best of shape going into this all-important match... If the results are there, and Les Bleus are taking part in the last four, the manner is clearly not, Didier Deschamps' men have had enormous difficulty this tournament.
Going back to the start of the competition, the French team didn't even finish top of their group, with 1 win and 2 draws. The first three games were very disappointing, both in terms of content and goal-scoring.
And, let's face it, the two clashes against Belgium and Portugal were extremely disappointing. It took a late own goal and a penalty shoot-out to see Kylian Mbappé and his teammates through to the semi-finals. As a final reminder, the only scorer for the French team at this Euro remains Kylian Mbappé, who scored from the penalty spot against Poland. Against Austria and the Red Devils, Les Bleus had a little help from their opponents. Will DD's men score again tonight?
Important Info
- TV broadcast: FOX Sports
- Time: 3:00 pm (Tuesday, July 9th)
- Stadium: Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany)
- Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenian)
Argentina vs Canada, a repeat performance?
The big favorite in our Copa America 2024 prediction, Argentina, opens the competition's last four. And they'll be up against an opponent they already faced in the first group match, Canada! The group phase went wonderfully well for the Albiceleste, who won all three of their matches without conceding a single goal (2-0 Canada, 1-0 Chile and 2-0 Peru).
First place in Group A and a handful of other surprises in the competition simply gave the reigning champions a veritable boulevard to the final, with Brazil and the outsiders (Uruguay, Colombia) in the other half of the table. However, the quarter-final against Ecuador was badly handled, and Lionel Messi's team-mates had to go through a penalty shoot-out to qualify.
Argentina will have to play a more serious game than against Ecuador if they are to qualify safely.
As for Canada, after losing their opening game to Argentina, they bounced back to get the job done and secure the necessary qualification for the rest of the competition. Indeed, the Canucks first beat Peru (0-1) before holding Chile to a goalless draw in Game 3, a match they absolutely had to win if they were to reach the quarter-finals.
It's a very fine Canadian team, qualified for the semi-finals of this Copa America 2024, which has achieved a superb result in its very first participation in the competition. This augurs well for the 2026 World Cup on home soil. And in the quarter-finals, the Canadians edged out Venezuela (who had won their 3 group matches and edged out Mexico) on penalties! For more information on this first semi-final, take a look at our Argentina vs Canada prediction.
Important Info
- TV broadcast: L'Équipe Live
- Time: 8:00 PM EST (Tuesday, July 9th)
- Stadium: MetLife Stadium (New York, United States)
- Referee: Jesús Valenzuela Sáez (Venezuelan)
