Now that the dust has settled on the group stages of Euro 2012, it is safe to say there were no major surprises, apart from the Dutch disaster of course.
Tournament favorites Spain and Germany coasted through to the quarterfinals while the likes of Italy and England impressed. However, neither of the hosts - Poland and Ukraine -- made it through to the next round, leaving the host countries' fans a little deflated.
Let's take a look at how the quarterfinals line up stacks up.
Czech Republic vs Portugal: Thursday, June 21: The Czechs were the winners of Group A, after Russia imploded in their final game against Greece. They have a solid team right across, and the likes of Vaclav Pilar and Petr Jiracek have looked dangerous on the wings. Both wide players have scored two goals each and will again look to provide the scoring against Portugal.
Czech Republic have one worry, however, with Thomas Rosicky, their creative force in midfield a major doubt. The Czechs managed to eke out a victory against Poland without Rosicky, but will definitely miss the Arsenal midfiedler's playmaking skills against a much stronger Portugal side.
For Portugal it will be all about Cristiano Ronaldo again. If the Real Madrid striker has a similar performance, like he had against the Dutch, then the Czech Republic team will see their Euro 2012 campaign end in the quarters. Keep Ronaldo quiet, the Czechs have a chance.
Spain vs France: Saturday, June 23: France bottled it against Sweden in their final group game and therefore face the daunting task of taking on Spain. Spain, however, looked vulnerable against Croatia, but come the big stage, players like Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and Fernando Torres will be hard to stop.
France will need Karim Benzema, who has not scored a single goal so far, to bring his scoring boots while Samir Nasri and Yohan Cabaye will need to keep the ball well, whenever they have it, to curb Spain's control on possession. The winners of this match will face the winners of Czech Republic and Portugal in the first semi-final.
Germany vs Greece: Friday, June 22: Germany have been the most impressive team in the tournament so far. Mario Gomez has been lethal in front of goal while Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller have always posed a threat from the wings. If Greece are to stand any chance, they will need to disrupt the supply line provided by Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil.
Germany will also have to be wary of complacency against the far from formidable Greeks. Because as they showed in Euro 2004, take them lightly at you own peril.
England vs Italy: Sunday, June 24: The winners of this match will most likely have Germany to face in the semis. Not the most encouraging of scenarios. Both England and Italy have proven hard to break down, with Italy playing the more enterprising soccer in the group stages. Andrea Pirlo has been outstanding for Italy so far and will again look to pull the strings in midfield.
For England, it will be all about Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. The England captain has provided three assists in three games and Italy will need to defend the Liverpool man's crosses and freekicks with extra care, especially with Rooney lurking in the middle.
