Colombia lost to Chile in the 2016 Copa America semi-finals but appear to be playing well enough to gain revenge at the last-eight stage this time around. Bringing in Carlos Queiroz as manager has helped Los Cafeteros raise their game to a new level and his presence should be a boost in the knockout rounds.
Egypt have looked rock-solid as Africa Cup of Nations hosts by starting out with two straight victories and are hard to oppose against Uganda in Cairo. The Cranes are also on course to progress from Group A after beating DR Congo and drawing with Zimbabwe, but this is a big step up in class.
Cameroon upset Ghana in the semi-finals en route to 2017 Africa Cup of Nations glory and can again come out on top in this year’s Group F meeting. The Indomitable Lions will be full of confidence after beating Guinea-Bissau, whereas the Black Stars are under a bit of pressure following a draw with Benin.
Brazil will go into their Copa America quarter-final against Paraguay with a score to settle after losing out to the same opponents at this stage in 2011 and 2015. However, the Selecao have looked rock-solid on home turf this year, keeping three straight clean sheets during the group stage.
Venezuela have a good recent record against Argentina and we feel their Copa America quarter-final clash could go all the way to the wire. Since losing to La Albiceleste at this stage three years ago, La Vinotinto have secured two World Cup draws and won a March friendly 3-1 in Madrid.
Spain recovered well from an opening loss to hosts Italy in their European Under-21 Championship pool and have impressed more than France at this tournament. Les Espoirs were rated a touch fortunate to beat England before scraping past Croatia and drawing against Romania, so they have plenty to prove here.
Romania have been a breath of fresh air at the European Under-21 Championship but we fear their fairytale run will come to an end against Germany in the semi-finals. The holders romped to an 8-0 triumph when these nations last met in qualifying for the 2015 renewal and again have a powerful current squad.
Morocco were a touch fortunate to scrape past Namibia in their Africa Cup of Nations opener but are worth sticking with when they take on Ivory Coast. The Atlas Lions beat Les Elephants 2-0 when they last met in a World Cup qualifier and should again enjoy facing opponents who come out more.
Kenya and Tanzania both began the Africa Cup of Nations with predictable defeats, but we felt the first-named team showed far more encouraging signs. The Harambee Stars were more of a threat after the interval versus Algeria, whereas the Taifa Stars were pretty negative throughout against Senegal.
Africa Cup of Nations hosts Egypt were more superior than a 1-0 scoreline suggests when beating Zimbabwe and can follow up by brushing aside DR Congo. The Leopards opened with a very disappointing 2-0 loss to Uganda and now must come up against the favourites in front of a hostile Cairo crowd.
Nigeria were a touch underwhelming when edging out Burundi in their Africa Cup of Nations opener but will hopefully improve for that victory when taking on Guinea. Their opponents could only earn a share of the spoils versus Madagascar first up and looked nervous at times during that 2-2 stalemate.
Ghana will be determined to improve on a series of Africa Cup of Nations near-misses and can start out by beating Benin in Group F. The Black Stars last lifted this trophy in 1982, but have reached two finals and four other semis in the past six renewals, so few would begrudge them an outright triumph.
Cameroon were crowned Africa Cup of Nations champions for the fifth time two years ago and can begin the defence of their trophy by edging out Guinea-Bissau. The Indomitable Lions beat the same opponents 2-1 during the group stage in Gabon and can shade another entertaining encounter.
England are already resigned to an early exit from the European Under-21 Championship but can salvage some pride by beating Croatia in Serravalle. Their opponents have also suffered two defeats so far, but seem to have less scope for improvement in the final round of Group C fixtures.