The round of 16 has carried on where the group stages left off, lots of goals, excitement and controversy, and Brazil having to squeak through via a penalty shoot-out,. Will the final four matches of the round be just as spectacular. The only certainty is that there's a lot of points for your Totel Football team to grab. Let's have a look at what we can expect from the games.

FRANCE V NIGERIA (Monday 30th June)

France have been formidable so far. Karim Benzema has shown that he truly is a world class finisher, but the star of the show so far has been Mathieu Valbuena. He is a real contender to be the player of the tournament, and Les Bleus are real contenders to win the World Cup. After a reserved last game against Ecuador, they should be back to their brilliant best.

Nigerian fans will be happy to have reached this stage, but their players are unsettled. Just as happened to Ghana, they are insisting on being paid their bonus before their game. One player who will need to be especially focussed is goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. He performed heroics against Argentina. The Super Eagles crashed in that match, but can be happy at how hard they pushed Messi and co. Ahmed Mussa scored two spectacular goals, and he remains Nigeria's main threat. Expect him to shoot from distance at every chance he gets.

Nigeria have beaten France every time they've played them. Once. The tables will be turned on Monday, and France could win by 3 goals or more.

GERMANY V ALGERIA (Monday 30th June)

On paper this looks another one-sided match, but we've all seen how Brazil 2014 loves to throw in a surprise result. Thomas Muller seems to be getting better by the game, and it will be between him and Messi for the golden boot. Germany have been impressive in every game, and they seem to be able to switch into another gear whenever they have to. Toni Kroos pulls the strings from midfield, and he'll fancy his chances of getting on the score sheet against Algeria.

Talking of scoring, could this be the game where Miroslav Klose becomes the all-time top scorer in World Cup history? Expect him to be given 15 minutes at the end of the game, and if a penalty is awarded you can be sure who'll be taking it.

Algeria have performed fantastically well to reach this second round. They looked down and out against Russia, but refused to give in. The goalscorer that night, Islam Slimani, can be a handful for any team but he may find the physical presence of Per Mertesacker too much for him. Algeria will put up another tenacious showing, but Germany will win by at least 2 clear goals.

ARGENTINA v SWITZERLAND (Tuesday 31st June)

Argentina have been enigmatic so far. They were many people's tips to win the Cup, but had to work much harder than expected in their group games. They have a high quality line up but in reality it's all down to one man, the little wizard Lionel Messi. Who is best – Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? This tournament has answered that question emphatically. Could this game see a Messi hat-trick? It's certainly possible.

The supporting cast of Higuain, Aguero and Di Maria also looks world class on paper, but have been very disappointing. Aguero in particular has been well below par. He will miss this game through injury, and his replacement Ezequiel Lavezzi should grab his chance with both hands.

Switzerland are ranked in the top 5 in the world by FIFA. That says all about the rankings, and very little about the Swiss. They had a great defensive record coming into the competition, but their dismantling by France was brutal. They can expect the same again. Xherdan Shaqiri is a talented player, but he's surrounded by mediocrity. This should be Argentina's biggest win of the tournament so far.

BELGIUM V USA (Tuesday 31st June)

Belgium are a team well known to Irish and UK football lovers, as a large portion of their squad plays in England. It's for that reason that they've been severely over-rated. Eden Hazard is their star player, but he doesn't have the same impact on international matches as his Chelsea predecessor Arjen Robben had. Thibault Courtois is their other stand out player, but the rest of team is distinctly average at best. Romela Lukaku is a talented young striker, but he looks far from sharp at the moment. They progressed through their group without defeat, but also without impressing.

The United States will provide a sterner test. Few expected them to progress through the group of death, but it's important to realise that there is a football, okay 'soccer', revolution going on there. As the sport becomes ever more popular, they're going to get better and better. For all that, the USA are reliant on two seasoned veterans. Clint Dempsey has been magnificent, and ex-Germany international Jermaine Jones has also been turning back the years for his new country. In Juergen Klinsmann, they have a top class coach and he'll have his charges just as pumped up as they were for their match against Portugal. The USA have the largest fun base, after the hosts, in Brazil and the noise will be deafening. Many will see this as a surprise prediction, but I back the USA to prevail. It could even come down to extra time or penalties.