Published 6/21/2012 1:31:19 AM by Shane Barrow from soccermogul

The group stages are complete and the knockout rounds are set for Euro 2012.  Now the games get even more serious and we have a couple of mouthwatering matchups in the final eight.

Thursday's quarterfinal match has the Czech Republic facing off against resurgent Portugal.   Could the Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal side be up for a deep run in the tournament?  It certainly looks so.  Especially if he starts putting the ball ito the net. No question his confidence is up after scoring twice in the win over mega-flops Holland.

Friday holds the David vs Goliath matchup of Germany and Greece.  Of course Greece has been here before and relish the underdog role.  They have the size to match the vaunted German cross and finish game.  

The key is how long they can hold out.  The longer the match goes 0-0 the more their confidence will grow and the chance of a smash and grab victory increases.  Nobody can argue the difference in talent though.  The Germans are stacked and are a clear favourite for the title.

The weekend holds the monster matchups as Spain takes on France Saturday followed by England and Italy on Sunday.  How is that for a weekend lineup? Wow!

Who could have foreseen England winning Group D?  All the drama, injuries and suspension may have just bonded the team.  Rooney is back and it should be a real cracker with Italy.  Can England cope with Balotelli, Pirlo and Cassano?  Italy are slight favorites, but anything could happen here.

Saturday is Spain v France.  Can the speedy attackers Ribery and Nasri cause Spain trouble?  Possibly, but the real worry is can the suspect France defense slow down the potent Spain attack?  Not likely especially now that Mexes is suspended.  France must play much better than in their final group loss to Sweden to have any chance.

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