Spain-Germany and Uruguay-Brazil, the main attractions of the quarterfinals of the Euro and Copa America

This Thursday, the quarterfinals of Copa America kick off with four matches worth watching. The first match of this round will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, where the reigning world champions and one of the big favorites, Argentina, will try to continue in the competition by eliminating Ecuador.

The Argentines landed in the quarterfinals as one of three national teams to win all three of its group stage games, in addition to not conceding a single goal. In the three games of the group stage, one name on the Argentine squad has stood above the rest: Lautaro Martínez, who has scored four of Argentina's five goals so far. Ecuador comes into the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group B ahead of Mexico. They have one win, one draw and one loss, with three goals conceded and four goals scored.

The highlight of the quarterfinals is the duel between Brazil and Uruguay. The team coached by Dorival Júnior has sown doubts on the field. Only the resounding victory against Paraguay saved them from criticism, boosted by the draws against Costa Rica and Colombia. Opposing them will be a powerful Uruguayan team coached by Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, which has three wins in the three group stage matches.

The quarterfinals will also see Panama seek to advance to the semifinals against Colombia, and the big surprise of Copa America so far, Venezuela, which will try to continue unbeaten in the competition against Canada.

Spain-Germany and Portugal-France are the games to watch

On the other side of the pond, the Euro is being played. As in Copa America, only the best eight teams remain, and they will play the quarterfinals of the competition between Friday and Saturday.

All eyes will undoubtedly be on Germany-Spain. Among all those considered as favorites, these two have been the most convincing, thanks to the style they have played and their dominance on the pitch. The hosts will have home-field advantage, as they will have the crowd on their side even before they enter the MHPArena in Stuttgart, the stadium where the match will be played on Friday. In the round of 16, they overcame Denmark, while in the group stage they took seven out of a possible nine points.

Spain have undoubtedly been the best in the competition so far. That famed “tiki taka” style popularized by the Spanish national team when it triumphed at the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships has evolved into a more vertical game, with two talents on the wings who are astounding European soccer: Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. They are the only team in the Euro that remains undefeated. Neither Croatia, nor Italy, nor Albania, nor Georgia in the round of 16 were able to defeat the squad coached by Luis de la Fuente.

Another game to pay special attention to will be Portugal-France. The Portuguese team had its chances of advancing to the quarterfinals flash before its eyes, having to do so in a penalty shootout against Slovenia. They have a squad capable of much more, especially in attacking lines, as is the case with France. Before the start of the Euro, the French national team started as the big favorite, along with Germany, to win the title, looking at the roster that Didier Deschamps has called up. However, their play, both in the group stage and in the round of 16, has been poor, which has raised numerous criticisms from much of the soccer world.

On the other hand, England, also facing many uncertainties, will face Switzerland, and what many see as the biggest surprise of the Euro, Turkey, will fight for its place in the top four against the Netherlands.