Switzerland and Spain clash in the Nations League A, but not for the first time, as the two teams are eager to get a win on board.
Murat Yakin will be hoping a return to home soil will benefit his team in some way, as the Switzerland manager will be eager to get off the mark in this edition of the Nations League A against Spain. The Swiss are pitted against the likes of Denmark and Spain, which does make it a tough-looking group.
Yakin will aim to finish in the second spot at the very least, as their next opponents, Spain, are widely regarded as the favourites to top this group. The Swiss had hoped to get off the mark away in Denmark, but things went from bad to worse in the space of ten minutes.
After the game seemed cagey in the first half, it sparked to life with Swiss star Nico Elvedi’s sending-off early in the second period. Despite being a man short, Yakin’s charges seemed to have the ropes to take it to the finish line and salvage a draw. Still, two goals in ten minutes from Denmark through Patrick Dorgu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, coupled with another sending-off sandwiched between those strikes, condemned Switzerland to a defeat.
Hence, Yakin will be eager for home advantage to play a role as they take on European Champions Spain. Luis de la Fuente will be keen to keep their unbeaten run ongoing and will certainly aim for a first win in this edition of the Nations League A.
Spain are without a few critical stars, but that does not appear to weaken the team by any standards. However, de la Fuente would have wanted to kick-start with a win and keep the momentum from their top form at the Euros going. However, as they met Serbia away from home, they did provide a stern test for the European champions, as the game ended in a goalless draw.
Luis de la Fuente will be particularly intrigued to see how his team fares away from home against Switzerland. Spain must get a foothold in this group, especially if Denmark end up winning their clash against Serbia in the other group game, meaning the manager will demand nothing other than a win.
Team News & Tactics
Switzerland
A second-half capitulation against Denmark saw Switzerland lose two key players to red cards. Nico Elvedi and Granit Xhaka will miss out on the home clash with Spain. Those absentees will force the manager to make critical changes to his lineup, with Gregory Wuthrich set to replace Elvidi in that backline.
The Strum Graz defender will join Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez in a back three setup, with Gregor Kobel firmly settled between the sticks. Denis Zakaria is the likely candidate to replace the talismanic Xhaka in the centre of midfield, as he will partner Remo Freuler there.
Silvan Widmer and Michel Aebischer will operate in the wing-back roles for Murat Yakin’s side. The manager is unlikely to change his front three from the defeat to Denmark, as Fabian Reider and Ruben Vargas will operate from the wide areas, with Breel Embolo leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Kobel, Wuthrich, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Zakaria, Aebischer; Rieder, Embolo, Vargas
Spain
Luis de la Fuente has already indicated he would make some tweaks to his lineup after the draw with Serbia. There are two prominent candidates to come in for Spain, as Alejandro Grimaldo and Pedri have made a case for themselves to be involved from the start against Switzerland.
The manager might ditch the setup he used for the Serbia clash and revert to a more familiar 4-3-3, which could see de la Fuente ditch the idea of starting Ayoze Perez up front. This means Dani Olmo could be used as a false-nine in this setup, while Pedri comes into the midfield three alongside Martin Zubimendi and Fabian Ruiz.
Marc Cucurella could drop out in favour of Grimaldo, while the rest of the defensive members will remain the same. David Raya will continue between the sticks as he looks to stake a claim to the No.1 spot in the wake of Unai Simon’s absence.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Grimaldo; Pedri, Zubimendi, Ruiz; Yamal, Olmo, Williams
Key Stats
- Spain are unbeaten in all competitions since a friendly loss to Colombia in March.
- In competitive fixtures, Spain are unbeaten since March 2023.
- Switzerland have only two victories against Spain in their previous 25 fixtures dating back to June 1925.
- Switzerland last beat Spain in the Nations League in September 2022.
Player to Watch
Martin Zubimendi
Zubimendi made a massive point at the Euro 2024 final when he had to replace Rodri at halftime. At that very moment, everyone thought it was a significant advantage to England without the Manchester City star, although the Real Sociedad man put in a stellar performance to show he can do what Rodri can.
Heading into the Switzerland clash, Zubimendi will be the key figure in this clash following Xhaka’s absence owing to a suspension. It does give the Real Sociedad star the chance to control the middle areas and help his team dominate the game and control the tempo. The midfielder will dictate how things pan out in this clash.
Prediction
Switzerland 1-2 Spain
Switzerland come into this game looking like they are a weaker team than the one that started against Denmark. The absence of Nico Elvedi and especially Granit Xhaka does make them look that way, and the duo will be missed, as Murat Yakin prefers the Bayer Leverkusen star in his setup as he gives them control.
The Swiss midfielder’s loss might be felt too much, as it is a massive advantage for Spain in this clash. De La Fuente’s side have not looked like the team from the Euros, as the manager will take this game as the opportunity to get back on track. Spain are the clear favourites to win this game away from home and get a foothold of their Nations League A group.
