European Championships - Semi Final Preview

It's down to just four teams now.

Portugal haven't won in regulation time throughout the tournament, but hey haven't been beaten yet either. Pepe's injury is a worry for them, barring which coach Santos should have the full squad to select from.
Wales are missing two key men in the form of Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies, with the loss of Ramsey a big blow for their attacking style of play. It would be up to their talisman Bale to fill the hole left by Ramsey.
Germany overcame a dogged Italy, albeit via a comical penalty shootout. Like Wales, they too have key men missing. Khedira, Gomez and Hummels are out for this game with Schweinsteiger a doubt. The first two players will most likely not play any further part in the tournament.
France have the momentum on their side after a 5-2 drubbing of Iceland. They'd be looking to shore up their defense, after conceding two goals in the second half in the last game.

In this post I'll preview both semi-finals.

Match Previews

Portugal vs Wales

Traditionally both these teams like to play open attacking football. Portugal haven't been at their best in this tournament. Their over-reliance on star man Ronaldo has been apparent. The rest of the team have not showed up in regulation time to take up any of the burden. Renato Sanches was a bright spark in their last outing, grabbing the equalizer after Poland had gone ahead. That performance will go some way in justifying Bayern Munich's huge valuation of him. Portugal will be hoping more players can take up the initiative in this crunch game. 

Wales produced perhaps the performance of the tournament to come from behind and win against Belgium. They showed team-work, character and determination to chew away at Belgium's advantage and then land the killer blow late on. The country is still rejoicing in Hal Robson-Kanu's superb goal, an almost once-in-a-lifetime moment. Ramsey's loss though will be a big gap to fill.

Overall, I can see this game playing out in one of two ways. Either Wales blitz Portugal early, and hold on in the second half, in which case Wales will win. Or else, Portugal will hold firm for the 90 minutes, and force the match beyond, again! This would hand Portugal the advantage. I'm going to go with Wales again, as I've done all tournament. I think they will out-manoeuvre Portugal, who just haven't got going yet, despite coming this far.

My Prediction: Portugal 1-3 Wales

Germany vs France

France are on a high after their first half demolition of Iceland. They'll further be looking to take advantage of injuries and suspensions that the Germans are facing. In Antoine Griezmann, Dmitri Payet and Olivier Giroud, France have the best attack of all teams in these championships. All three are in contention for the Golden Boot come next Sunday.

The Germans on the other hand, would be hoping that the team changes they'll be forced to make won't have too much of an impact on their style of play. Losing key members of their team just at the wrong moment would mean others would have to step up their game. Toni Kroos had a poor game against Italy and his role would be very crucial towards Germany maintaining control of the midfield. Their glaring lack of center forwards will be exposed once again with Gomez, the only recognised forward, out of the tournament now with injury. This could mean a return for Mario Gotze, although his confidence wouldn't be sky-high at the moment. Germany would be looking at players like Ozil, Kroos and Draxler to provide them the attacking impetus they'd require against the hosts.

This will be a hard-fought, end-to-end encounter. At least, I hope so. Neither team is one to sit back and play defensive. France have the edge right now, in terms of personnel availability and momentum. But never count the Germans out in a big tournament. It is for this reason that I'm going for a narrow German win, despite the odds in the second semi-final. Let's hope we get a cracking game to watch.

My Prediction: Germany 2-1 France

The semi-final of the Euros promises two lively games. If the number of goals scored in the Quarter Finals are anything to by, then these matches should be quite enjoyable. I'll be back in a couple days with the reviews of both game. Till then, enjoy football...