After a couple of rest days, both Euro 2020 and the Copa America are back in earnest with the quarter finals on Friday and Saturday.

Euro 2020 / Copa America 2021 Diary

Five of the eight games could, if picked, feature Barça players. Two are in the European Championship:

Switzerland v Spain (Friday, 6pm CEST)

Saint Petersburg is the venue as Busquets, Pedri, Jordi Alba and Eric Garcia will be looking to get Spain, three times winners in the past, into the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time in a decade. Both teams are meeting after providing one of the most entertaining nights of international football EVER! Spain let a 3-1 lead slip against Croatia, but bounced back to win a remarkable last sixteen match 5-3. And then Switzerland looked dead and buried against Griezmann and Lenglet’s France, but found two late goals to send the game into extra time and ended up knocking out the world champions and bookies favourites on penalties. The Swiss are now looking to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time ever.

Czech Republic v Denmark (Saturday, 6pm CEST)

Despite losing their first two games, Martin Braithwaite’s Denmark squeezed into the last sixteen on the final day and then routed Wales 4-0 in Amsterdam to qualify for the quarter finals. Baku, Azerbaijan is the venue as the winners of the 1992 edition, but who have not returned to a semi-final since, face the impressive Czech Republic, who put an end to De Jong and Memphis’ tournament with Holland in the previous round. The Czechs won this tournament in 1976 as part of the former Czechoslovakia and were runners-up at Euro 96.

Meanwhile, over in Brazil:

Brazil v Chile (Saturday, 2am CEST)

Emerson started Brazil’s last group game and will be hoping to get picked again as the host country take on Chile in what promises to be a pulsating quarter finals clash. Brazil are the defending champions, but Chile, including former Barça men Claudio Bravo and Arturo Bravo, won the two before that. Brazil topped their first round group undefeated while Chile only mustered one win in four games, against Bolivia. The Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro is the venue.

Uruguay v Colombia (Sunday, 12am CEST)

With centre back Ronald Araujo among their squad as well as former Barça man Luis Suárez, Uruguay finished second in Group A behind Argentina. The country that has won the trophy more times than any other, most recently in 2011, faces the third-placed team in Group B, Colombia, at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia. Colombia, surprisingly, have only ever won the tournament once, in 2001, and their number include former FC Barcelona defender Yerry Mina.

Argentina v Ecuador (Sunday, 3am CEST)

Lionel Messi and Kun Agüero have been two of the standout performers of the tournament so far. Indeed, Messi is the top goalscorer so far with three goals. Argentina have not won the South American Championship for 28 years, and it is a title that both players would love to add to their collection, and there was nothing about their group stage form to suggest that that can’t happen in 2021. They’re up against Ecuador, who qualified for the quarter finals without winning a single game – they had three draws and a defeat. Goiânia is the venue.

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