Portugal and Germany both played out 120 minutes before overcoming Poland and Italy in the penalty shootout. Meanwhile, Wales pulled off a surprise 3-1 victory over in-form Belgium and France comfortably brushed aside Iceland.
In this Euro Fantasy Semi Final Tips article, we'll be looking at the best strategy going forward and who are the best replacement players to bring in with your six free transfers.
First of all, let's take a look at how the Semi Final draw panned out:
Wales have been served a huge blow as Aaron Ramsey picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Belgium and will now serve a suspension. Andy King or Jonathan Williams will fill in for Ramsey, but it's hard to see either replicate the form of the tournament's top assister (4). Meanwhile, James Collins looks the favourite to stand-in for suspended Ben Davies.
William Carvalho suspension could mean Danilo comes into Portugal midfield, whilst Mats Hummels is likely to be replaced by Benedikt Höwedes at the heart of the German defence.
Pepe missed training on Monday with a slight thigh problem but is expected to return in time for the Wales match.
In the absence of Khedira, Emre Can could be given the chance to partner Toni Kroos in the midfield. Julian Draxler could replace Mario Gomez, with Thomas Muller starting alone up top. Bastian Schweinsteiger is a big doubt but has a chance to play.
France and Wales both enter their matches with a clean bill of health.
Semi Final Fixtures:
Portugal vs. Wales (Wednesday 6th, 20:00) Germany vs. France (Thursday 7th, 20:00) With just four teams remaining, the importance of selecting players who are likely to progress is critical. The pool of players has again halved, while your chances of having a player eliminated have increased. In preparation for the final you will be given an additional six transfers to put the final touches on your squad - so it's not worth taking too many risks in the build-up. We came across some helpful pointers in the FantasyPL Reddit forum, which we have reworded to suit: “You can afford to lose 10 players (6 free transfers + bench) going from the Semi Finals to the Final, in other words you can lose five players per team. A spread of 5-4-3-3 seems sensible, since you'll lose a max of nine players, while giving upgrade room and being able to field your entire bench if needed. Six German and French players seems excessive, especially since you can't field them all at the same time. Instead dump your cheapest players on the bench and transfer out the rest so you have more cash to play with. Given there's only two game weeks left, planning for the future is pointless. Now is all about picking the players who will give you the most points. With this in mind, and the fact you can lose 2/3 of your team and still field a full XI, choosing teams over players is not essential.” Credit to /u/jonny_young.Odds To Qualify To Final
| Team | Odds | Implied Chance |
| Portugal | 1/2 | 66.67% |
| Germany | 5/6 | 54.55% |
| France | 5/6 | 54.55% |
| Wales | 6/4 | 40.00% |
Semi Final Suspensions:
| Team | Suspended For Semi Final |
| Portugal | W. Carvalho |
| Germany | Hummels |
| France | |
| Wales | Ramsey, Davies |
Semi Final Injuries
| Team | Injured For Semi Final | Doubtful |
| Portugal | Pepe | |
| Germany | Gomez, Khedira | Schweinsteiger |
| France | ||
| Wales |
Who To Pick From Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is the obvious choice for Portugal although up until now - excluding the Hungary match - it's somewhat paid off not owning the striker. However, as the player pool dramatically decreases and managers are forced to make changes following eliminations, you can expect his ownership to increase rapidly. We all know what he's capable of and so far he's averaged 7.2 shots per game, the competition's highest. Another name in the headlines is Renato Sanches. Throughout the group stages, the 18-year-old was thrown on as an impact substitute in the majority of Portugal's encounters, however, the youngster earned himself a place in the starting lineup for the Quarter-Finals - scoring an equalising goal. Sanches was the standout performer in the match, attempting three shots, seven dribbles, and even scoring a penalty in the shootout.Who To Pick From Germany
Despite struggling in front of goal in the tournament so far, Thomas Muller remains a good bet for a points return. His displays have been very uncharacteristic this tournament but on the plus side he often clicks into gear when it really matters. So far he's failed to find the net despite playing every minute for his country, but he has attempted more shots on goal per game (3.2) than any of his teammates. Mesut Ozil was fantastic versus Italy, getting into goal-scoring areas, threading balls into the forwards as per usual and also whipping in some dangerous crosses from open play and set pieces. Many say that the playmaker is not a ‘big game' player despite scoring against Buffon, De Gea and Neuer this year… just don't mention his penalties!Who To Pick From France
Antoine Greizmann turned up the heat versus Iceland providing a constant thorn in the oppositions defence. He picked up the ball in deep positions, drove at defenders and finished the match having scored a brilliant chip and bagging a pair of assists. He now leads the race for the golden boot with four goals to his name. Dimitri Payet is another Frenchman in fantastic form, adding a goal and an assist to his account during the Quarter-Finals. The apparent ease in which he causes havoc from free kicks and corners is fascinating to watch, but more importantly a great tool for your Euro Fantasy squad. He can create chances from nothing (4.2 key passes per game) and has proved decisive with three goals and two assists - very impressive numbers for a midfielder.Who To Pick From Wales
You already know the first player on our list from Wales, yes it's Gareth Bale once again. The media are attempting to create a conflict between the Welshman and his Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the run up to this match, but this has not shaken the ex-Tottenham winger. He has played with a smile on his face and with a directness which is rarely seen in football today, attempting an average of 4.2 shots and 4 dribbles per game in the competition thus far. A bit of magic is needed - possibly another textbook free kick. We've picked out a couple of differentials from the underdogs. First up is Hal Robson-Kanu, the striker, who is currently a free agent having been released by Reading at the end of the season, was the hero in the Quarter-Finals. His Cruyff turn and finish versus Belgium was the stuff of dreams and he will still be playing off the high. The other player was Jonathan Williams, like Renato Sanches, he has been utilised as an impact sub, but will likely get to start from the off in Ramsey's absence. Flying the flag for MK Dons, who now have more players remaining in the Euro's than Barcelona, he adds a creative touch to the Wales side.Thanks for reading our Euro Fantasy Semi Final Tips article. Why not check out our Semi Final Statistical Analysis and Semi Final Captain Tips.
