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EURO 2016 : What to expect in the semi-finals

The ongoing Euro 2016 tournament in France has been full of excitement, fun and even surprises. Debutants like Iceland and Wales made it to the quarter-final, with Wales qualifying for the semi-final. The competition has also seen fortunes turn around for Players like Robson-Kanu of Wales who was let go by Reading football club of England, now being sought after by clubs, while Oliver Giroud who has been booed on different occasions by Arsenal and French supporters was cheered after scoring two goals in  France 5-2 victory over Iceland in the quarter final game of the competition.
The excitement is about to get even bigger as the semi-finals  get on the way with France, Germany, Portugal and Wales set to battle for a spot in the final of the completion which is scheduled to hold from Wednesday July 6 to Thursday July 7
 
The first game of the semi-final round will be between Portugal and Wales, on July 6 at the Parc ol in Lyon. The match will see two Real Madrid stars Bale and Ronaldo tackle each other.
Wales who have had a beautiful and surprising run of form in the competition will be looking forward to complementing their performance so far with a victory over Portugal after topping group B and easing past Northern Ireland 1-0 in the second before demolishing Belgium 3-1 in the quarter-final.
It’s, however,  unfortunate that they will be without Arsenal midfielder Aeron Ramsey who has be suspended. Ramsey is joint top on the assist chart with Eden Harzard of Belgium, both players having 4 assists to their name. They will also be without Ben Davies due to  suspension.
On the Portuguese side, William Carvalho has been suspended, while Pepe is a doubt after suffering thigh injury.
Portugal who finished third in group F made it to the Semis after a 1-0 victory over Croatia in the second round after which defeated Poland through penalty after playing 1-1. Their fans will hope they step-up their game and their super star captain Ronaldo carry them all the way when they take on Wales.
 
 
The second semi-final game is between Germany and France, on July 7 at the stade valodrome in Marseille
The German team have had a fantastic competition so far. They finished top of their group (group C), crushed Slovokia 3-0 in the second round, and beat Italy by 6-5 penalties after playing 1-1 in regular time in the quarter-final. Their defence is the strongest so far in the competition, conceiving only one goal, which was from a penalty kick when they played Italy in the quarter final. Their 3-5-2 formation has been effective so far with which they have scored 7 goals in the completion.
They will be without Mats Hummels (suspended), Mario Gomez ( hamstring injury) and  Sami Khedira (adductor muscle inury) when they take on France. Mario Gomez who is their only out in out striker has been ruled out of the tournament. The fitness of midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is also in doubt.
France, on the other hand, will be welcoming the return of Adil Rami and N’Golo Kante from suspension. Without any injury worry or suspended player they look good to go. With their top strikers in Griezman and Giroud in excellent form. They seem to have the upper hand against Germany. Griezman is the highest goal scorer in the competition with 4 goals while Giroud has 3 goals to his name.
France defeated Rebulic of Ireland 2-1 in the second round and Iceland 5-2 in the quarter final after topping group A. France who have a history of reaching the semi-final of competitions they host will be heavily cheered by the home supporters when they take on Germany.
Encomium

Written by Encomium

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