Few expected Denmark and the Czech Republic to reach the final eight of Euro 2020, but both teams are going to make the best of this opportunity and move forward as tournament Cinderellas.

Denmark’s tournament couldn’t have started any worse after talisman Christian Eriksen incurred a cardiac arrest in its opening match against Finland. But with Eriksen now out of hospital and Denmark rallying around their fallen compatriot, the Danes have only gotten stronger as the tournament has progressed. In the Round of 16, the Danes were full-value victors with a comprehensive 4-0 rout of Wales. The win against the Dragons was Denmark’s first knockout-round victory at a major tournament since 2004.

For the Czechs, this trip to the last eight is their first at a major tournament since 2004. Czech Republic reached the quarters with a win over a heavily favoured Netherlands team that was undone by a straight red to defender Matthijs de Ligt. But it would be a disservice to simply attribute their passage to a numerical advantage because the Czechs firmly outplayed the Oranje in last weekend’s match.

Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand says there are similarities between his team and Saturday’s opponents.

"We have a framework and philosophy that we stick to but, inside that, there is also space for tactical things, positions, and the skill of the individual players,” Hjulmand said. “There is always room for variations and tactical thoughts. Of course, we always try to find the right framework for the players to work in and, of course, it's the same way with the Czechs."

Danish captain Simon Kjær has liked what he’s seen from his team, thus far, and knows they’re capable of more.

"We're not done yet and we're going to attack again tomorrow with the same attitude and hunger [as we did against Wales],” Kjær said.  “The gold is far away right now, but the hunger [for it] is great."

For the Czechs, the match against Denmark represents another test, just as the Round of 16 match with the Oranje was, but Czech Republic ‘keeper Tomas Vaclik says it’s a completely different challenge.

"It's really difficult to compare these two teams because the style of playing is completely different,” Vaclik said of Saturday’s match. “Denmark are running much more than Holland; everyone is doing their job not just waiting to go on the counter or to hold the ball. They are working hard, they are playing hard, so it's very difficult to compare these two games."

There is one other consideration that both teams will need to take into account – the weather. Baku is expected to be  34 degrees (Celsius) on Saturday with plenty of sun. Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has played in Azerbaijan before and says that this weekend looks to be a different experience than what he’s used to there.

"It's going to be nice not standing there freezing,” the Leicester City man said. “It'll probably be the outfield players who're going to feel the effect of it. But many of them have been playing a lot in hot countries, so it's not going to be the first time for them."

Saturday’s match marks the fourth meeting between the two sides at an international tournament and third at a Euro. Denmark will hope that history is not an indicator of what’s to come. While their last game – in the group stage of the 2012 World Cup – was a draw, the Czechs won the prior two matches with both coming at Euros.

POTENTIAL DENMARK XI: Schmeichel; Christensen, Kjær, Vestergaard; Wass, Højbjerg, Delaney, Mæhle; Braithwaite, Dolberg, Damsgaard

POTENTIAL CZECH REPUBLIC XI: Vaclik; Coufal, Celustka, Kalas, Kaderabek; Holes, Soucek; Masopust, Barak, Sevcik; Schick