Portugal v Sweden

"I think Portugal are the oddest international team on the planet as they routinely fumble through, either via a playoff or a last gasp win. They make hard, hard work of a group that they should be running away with. Over the last decade they have found extraordinary ways to look constipated when getting to big tournaments. And then way they do, they routinely reach a quarter-final or semi-final. They doggedly get to the last stages of tournaments and persistenly look as if they are an inch away from tilting a semi-final. They're a Jekyll and Hyde outfit. 

"But people don't like playing Sweden. I was working with David Ginola two weeks ago and he feared France drawing them. They're largely B-minus players on the scales but they are a real unit." 

Iceland v Croatia

"The majority of people shout for the underdog. If you look at Iceland's case, what seduces me is that their population is about 300,000 - the size of country that shouldn't be able to be punching so far above their weight. The one that has caught my eye is Finnbogasson who plays in the Dutch league and he's been described by analysts and countrymen as being somebody with Van Nistelrooy potential. Therefore, I'll be watching him very closely.

"I have seen enough of Croatia to say that there is a lot more to come from them and I'd be astonished if Croatia don't hit the mark and deal with this tie - maybe not comfortably but professionally. I like his tone and Modric has been saying that they should handle it. You look at Mandzukic and Modric hitting his mark at Real Madrid, Rakitic has matured...