Euro 2016: Predictions for France-Ireland, three Sunday games

Who will join Poland, Wales and Portugal in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016? Here’s predictions for all three Sunday games.

Hosts France are back in action Sunday against the Republic of Ireland. Will France advance to the quarter-finals, or will they buckle under the pressure of the home fans?

Can Slovakia shock the world and take down Germany? To do so, they will need to play better than they did against England last week and threaten to score past the World Cup winners.

Will Hungary’s incredible journey continue, or will Belgium be too strong? Here’s my picks for all three games.

France vs. Republic of Ireland (9am ET)

This one might be tighter than many might think. France have looked nervous with the pressure of their home fans, requiring late winners in two of their wins. Republic of Ireland, on the other hand, will play with no fear. They’re just excited to be in the knockout stages. The pressure is completely off.

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France have more quality than Ireland, but their opponents are no pushovers. Ireland are fresh off a 1-0 victory over Italy, and they should also have beaten Sweden. If there is going to be an upset in the Round of 16, it will be in this game.

Despite that, I’m predicting France edge past and calm the nerves of the home support. England or Iceland up next for the host nation.

Prediction: France 1-0 Republic of Ireland

Germany vs. Slovakia (Noon ET)

We know Slovakia’s gameplan. It will be the same as we saw in their 0-0 draw with England. Slovakia will look to soak up pressure and catch Germany on the counter. They have some quality going forward, but they won’t want to be too exposed at the back.

England piled on the possession and threatened to score, but Slovakia defended in numbers and prevented many clear cut chances.

Here’s the problem: Germany are a better side who move the football much better than England. They pass with purpose and precision and will be able to expose Slovakia at the back.

Starting Mario Gomez was a smart move for Germany and it made a huge difference against Northern Ireland. They lacked an out-and-out striker to finish chances during their first two games, and Gomez offers that. He won’t work hard and track back, but he’ll always be in the right areas to score goals, which is what he does best. Gomez scored the winner against Northern Ireland and could easily have scored four goals.

The scoreline might be narrow, but this game won’t be close.

Prediction: Germany 2-0 Slovakia

Hungary vs. Belgium (3pm ET)

Hungary have played with tremendous spirit and heart throughout this tournament, and they clearly have quality after winning Group F with five points. Belgium have been hot and cold to date. They were poor against Italy but brilliant against Ireland. They finished on six points and the fear for Hungary is that the real Belgium have arrived.

They enter this game as favorites, but the worry for Belgium is that they have the look of many England teams over the past 15 years. On paper they look strong, but I’m not convinced they can go deep into this competition.

Still, Belgium should advance.

Prediction: Hungary 1-2 Belgium

My Euro 2016 record: 22-17

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