Europe is in suspense. Two of the major football nations, Spain and France, are scheduled to battle it all out for a place in the EURO 2024 finals. As summer temperatures rise, so is the EURO football fever.

France had to resort to penalties against Portugal to secure its place among the last four nations in this tournament. Meanwhile, Spain overcame the Germans in extra time in an entertaining match. Both teams played their quarter/finals last Thursday and are now preparing for this eagerly awaited semi-final.

So far in this tournament, Spain has impressed with its consistent attacking football. Youthful duo, Yamal Lamine and Nico Williams have had us all smiling in admiration for their superb talent. William Hill is offering odds of 9.00 for Nico Williams to score first.

The French have been somewhat more cautious, balancing their attacking and defending manoeuvres. It is evident that they are not wanting to be too adventurous. Kylian Mbappe has only scored one goal from a penalty in this tournament so far. Ousmane Dembele himself remarked in the post-match interview against Portugal that they were confident going into a penalty shootout. William Hill is offering odds of 9.00 for France. Should France’s coach Deschamps opt for another cagey style of play in the semi-final against Spain, it could be a catastrophe for them.

The Spanish are much more agile in attack than Portugal and will probably not be are changing their strategy for this match against France. William Hill is offering odds of 2.62 for Spain to win. It will be very interesting to watch how these two teams will approach the game. Spanish defenders Carvajal and Le Normand are both suspended. Kylian Mbappe will be eager to get out there and show Europe what he capable of. But so is striker Alvaro Morata in the Spanish kit, who has surely spent this weekend thinking about the French goalkeeper Mike Maignan. William Hill is offering odds of 3.80 for Alvaro Morata to have over one shot on target

We think and hope that this will be a semi final to remember. The two nations boast some of the finest European football talents. Both nations entered this tournament determined that they can win it all for their people and their country. But now only one of them can earn the right to play the EURO 2024 final. The question remains: Will we hear the melody of ‘La Marseillaise’ or ‘Marcha Real’ in this EURO final? We will find out on Tuesday night.

SiGMA East Europe Summit powered by Soft2Bet, will take place in Budapest from 2-4 September 2024