The Round of 16 continues on Sunday. Can England rediscover form at a crucial moment in the tournament? Will Georgia overcome their next Iberian opposition & shock European football?

England v Slovakia 

As expected, England have qualified for the round of 16 on top of Group C. That, however, does little to describe the narrative that has followed The Three Lions since the beginning of the tournament. The football England have played across 3 matches is horribly tepid, defensive, and unimaginative. England have scored only 2 goals in 3 matches and only qualified for the knockout stages because of the lack of quality Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia managed to bring in opposition. 

Manager Gareth Southgate is the face of scorn for this national under-performance. Beer cups were thrown in his direction at full-time on Tuesday, and back home, England fans are calling for his timely exit as many struggle to see a tactical vision. Southgate voiced his own frustrations adamantly in the post-match press conference following the latest dull 0:0 draw with Slovenia. The 53-year-old was quick to argue that no other team that had qualified for the knockout stage had received a similar level of criticism from their own fanbase, but the truth is also that England are held to a much higher standard than what they have shown in the opening 3 matches.

Not only Southgate has underperformed, however. Individually, England also have numerous players falling below the standard they have set at club level. Wingers Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka have looked drained from a grueling club season, Harry Kane is extremely isolated at center-forward, and Jude Bellingham is struggling to adapt to a deeper midfield position than the one he played in Madrid this season. Bellingham opened England’s tournament after only 13 minutes against Serbia, but since then, the 20-year-old has left no notable impact on the competition. Bellingham has failed to register a single shot since scoring England’s opener, and he has regularly looked off the pace with no clearly defined role in England’s midfield. 

Few had registered Slovakia as a true knockout contender when the final 24 teams were decided months ago. Slovakia only narrowly qualified ahead of lowly Luxembourg who boast a population of a mere 650,000. Yet, the complete outsiders have managed to make it past the groupstage, earning a respectable 4 points in the so hotly-contested Group E. A 1:1 draw against Romania on the final matchday ultimately made the difference, but the biggest portion of the job was done during their opening fixture when Francesco Calzona’s side managed to beat Belgium 1:0. 

The key throughout that victory, and the entire groupstage for that matter, was Slovakia’s stellar backline. The back four and goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka have an average age of 31 years, with the full wealth of experience on display as Slovakia rarely allowed themselves lapses in concentration or individual errors. Whether Calzona’s limited attacking options have the quality to overcome England’s defense remains to be seen, but there is no debating that Slovakia are set up for tournament football and have the defensive spine to frustrate any side at this championship. 

Prediction: England Win

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Spain v Georgia 

It’s hard to think of a more dominant and impressive side at this summer’s championships than Spain. Luis de la Fuente’s side won 3 from 3 matches and didn’t even concede a goal in the process. We’ve seen in the past how quickly groupstage form can go out the window, but Spain will take confidence from the fact that the last side to go through with a perfect points tally and defensive record were eventual champions Italy in 2021. 

Not only Spain’s performances should give them the upper hand, but also the fitness with which they enter this affair. Spain have 2 additional days of rest compared to their opponents, and Luis de la Fuente rotated almost the entire side for the final groupstage fixture with Albania. Only Aymeric Laporte remained in the side from the starting eleven which beat Italy, and even he was substituted off at halftime for Robin Le Normand.  

With so much chopping and changing it didn’t prove to be Spain’s finest performance, but even then, the reserve outfit did enough to muster a 1:0 victory. A player who used the occasion to make a good account was FC Barcelona winger, Ferran Torres. Torres already came off the bench against Croatia and Italy, but as a starter against Albania, he got on the scoresheet and picked up the UEFA man-of-the-match award. The scintillating form of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams means Torres might find it hard to come by another start throughout the competition, but it is clear that de la Fuente has an excellent game-changing substitute at his disposal. 

Awaiting Spain in the round of 16 are a familiar opponent in Georgia. The two sides met twice in qualification, with Spain winning both fixtures by a combined score of 10:2. Still, Georgia are absolutely enlivened by a monumental victory over Portugal that paved the way for the EURO rookies to immediately make it to the knockout stage in their first ever international tournament. 

Khvicha Kvaratskehlia opened his account, and Georges Mikautadze added a 3rd to become the leading scorer at this year’s groupstage, but it was goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili who was the true MVP again. The Valencia goalkeeper made 5 saves against Portugal, with each seemingly better than the last. Mamardashvili was far from an unknown quantity ahead of the tournament, but latest now, it should be clear that the Georgian shot-stopper needs to be playing Champions League football next season. 

Prediction: Spain Win