The Euro 2016 kicks off this Friday with a matchup between France and Romania. Thereafter, fans will get a chance to experience some of the most exciting soccer possible with European foes taking one another on in a month-long marathon.

Of course every tournament comes with a dose of surprising. The tournament four years ago featured the implosion of the Netherlands, the rise of Italy and the continued dominance of Spain despite naysayers saying otherwise.

This tournament is due for its own dose of surprises, so here are some bold (and potentially controversial) predictions for the forthcoming tournament.

Spain will have a deep run

In the past, this would not be a bold prediction, but these days picking against Spain is not a hard choice. The defending Champs have not been particularly good since the 2014 World Cup debacle and have not developed a style of play diverse or varied enough to contest stingy defenses.

Yet the team is still deep at all positions and the inclusion of new talent up front will be the revelation of the tournament with Nolito and Alvaro Morata make a huge difference. Will Spain win it all? That is debatable, but they will make a deep run, possibly as far as the semifinals or even final match itself.

Germany will struggle

The German side does not have a particularly hard group but they will struggle to get through this tournament. For whatever reason, the defending World Champs have struggled for consistency since winning the big tournament in Brazil two summers ago. Their inconsistent form will continue throughout this tournament and they will likely falter earlier than anyone expects them to – look for a German exit in the quarterfinals.

Cristiano Ronaldo will have a positive impact

Two summer ago, the Real Madrid superstar hobble his way through the Brazil showpiece, scoring one goal and essentially watching as his side died a quick and painful death.

Ronaldo is not in the best of shape in this tournament, but he has a tremendous amount of will power and will likely not want to endure another painful tournament as his prime years vanish before his eyes. Look for the 31-year-old to lead his supporting cast out of the group stage and deeper into the tournament than most might expect. Dare I say semifinals? He may also lead the tournament in goals scored and potentially be crowned the tournament MVP.

Belgium will flop

Marc Wilmots plays his players out of position, particularly on the back end where his Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are forced to play as fullbacks instead of their natural central defending positions. These weird tactics have always seemingly harmed this team from really reaching its peak as the golden generation has failed throughout the years.

This should be their year and yet it won’t be. With a hard group on the horizon, Belgium will struggle in the group phase and then get dispatched quickly in the knockout rounds, ensuring yet another frustrating performance.

France will be champion

The French are undergoing another strong generation of players led by the young Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba. They are tournament favorites considering their history at home in big tournaments (they won the 2000 Euro here and the 1998 World Cup). Everything seems to favor them at the moment, including an easy group. Expect the French to be fully ready to emerge for prime-time and lift the trophy.

TagsSoccer, euro 2016, Spain, Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo