England will face Switzerland in the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-finals on Saturday, with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.
Gareth Southgate’s men have been quite underwhelming throughout UEFA Euro 2024, and they toiled their way to the quarter-finals in the game against Slovakia. England will have to raise their performance levels if they want to get past Switzerland on Saturday.
On paper, England have a talented squad capable of beating most teams in the world. However, Southgate has not been able to get the best out of his players, and the Three Lions have looked mediocre throughout the tournament.
Their performances in the group stages were quite mediocre as well. It will be interesting to see if England can step up and get the job done here. Meanwhile, Switzerland produced a sensational performance against Italy in the knockout rounds of the tournament and eliminated one of the favourites to win the competition.
They will fancy their chances against a disjointed England side as well. They have a talented squad, and their performance levels have been quite impressive as well. It will be interesting to see which of the two teams come out on top here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
England
Gareth Southgate will be without Marc Guehi against Switzerland, as the Crystal Palace defender is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against Slovakia. Other than that, England have a full-strength squad to choose from.
England will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier will be deployed as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and join the attack during transitions. John Stones will start alongside Joe Gomez at the heart of the defence.
Declan Rice should feature as the defensive midfielder here, and he will look to protect the back four and break down opposition attacks. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham and Kobbie Mainoo will add creativity, control and drive to the side alongside him. Harry Kane will lead the line for England, with Bukayo Saka on his right and Anthony Gordon on his left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Gomez, Trippier; Bellingham, Rice, Mainoo; Saka, Kane, Gordon
Switzerland
Switzerland do not have any major injury problems heading into this game, and Murat Yakin will be able to field a strong team against England. Nati are likely to shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation here, with Yann Sommer in goal.
In the back three, Fabian Schar will start alongside Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez. They will look to keep things compact defensively and help Switzerland build from the back. Silvan Widmer and Michel Aebischer will start as the wing-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Remo Freuler will add defensive cover to the side, while Granit Xhaka provides creativity and composure from the deep. Ruben Vargas and Zeki Amdouni will start as the advanced midfielders here, and they will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Finally, Kwadwo Duah will lead the line for Switzerland.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer; Vargas, Ndoye; Duah
Key Stats
- England have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven home matches against Switzerland in all competitions.
- England have won eight of their last ten matches against Switzerland in all competitions.
- England have been drawing at half-time and winning at full-time in their last three home matches against Switzerland in all competitions.
- England have reached the quarter-finals in all four major tournaments under Gareth Southgate.
- Switzerland have reached the quarter-finals of a major tournament for just the fifth time in their history.
Player to Watch
Jude Bellingham
The Real Madrid midfielder is undoubtedly the best performer for England in the European Championships so far, and he showed his quality in the knockout rounds against Slovakia once again. The midfielder scored a stunning equaliser deep into injury time to save his country’s blushes, and he is our key player to watch out for.
He will look to influence the game with his creativity and control in the middle of the park. Bellingham will look to continue his impressive run of form and get on the score sheet as well. England will need him to step up and dominate the game from the middle of the park if they want to get through to the semi-finals of the competition.
Prediction
England 1-2 Switzerland
England are the better team on paper, but their performances have been quite poor. They are likely to struggle against the well-organised Switzerland side here. The Swiss will be full of confidence and momentum after the morale-boosting victory over Italy in the last round, and they will look to book their place in the semi-finals of the competition. This is likely to be a close contest, but Switzerland should be able to edge this one.