The Round of 16 of the UEFA Euro starts tonight with the match between Switzerland and Italy. Switzerland have qualified for the last 16 from Group A with one win and two draws, while Italy booked their place from Group B with one win, one defeat, and a draw.
Switzerland have been very dominating in this tournament and could have been at the top of the table. But the match against Germany saw a heartbreak for the Swiss as they conceded a goal in injury time. Switzerland were in the lead against Germany and seemed to be the winner. But Borussia Dortmund’s striker Niclas Fullkrug scored a stunner for Germany in the 90+2 minute to draw the match by a 1-1 margin.
Meanwhile, Italy had a good start by winning against Albania in their first game but lost to Spain in their following match. They could have been eliminated from the group round, but Mattia Zaccagni scored in the 90+8th minute to save a point for Italy. Relying on his goal, Italy tied the match against Croatia in their final group-stage game that helped them qualify for the last 16.
Stats & Facts
- Italy and Switzerland have met four times in major tournaments, including the UEFA Euros and FIFA World Cups. Switzerland won the first two meetings, both in the World Cups. However, Italy won the last two matches.
- Italy won their last two games against Switzerland, keeping two clean sheets, in major tournaments.
- Switzerland have failed to win any of their last 11 matches across all competitions against Italy. The last time they defeated Italy was in 1993 when Switzerland secured a 1-0 win in the World Cup Qualifier.
- Switzerland have never failed to reach the knockout round in any of their previous six appearances in major tournaments.
Team News
Switzerland boss Murat Yakin has to change his squad that played against Germany. Defender Silvan Widmer must serve a one-game suspension due to his excessive booking in two consecutive matches. As a result, Leonidas Stergiou is the favorite to come into the starting XI against Italy.
Italy boss Luciano Spalletti also has to replace Riccardo Calafiori as he received two yellow cards in the group round. Additionally, Federico Dimarco will miss the match due to his calf injury. Spalletti is likely to call Matteo Darmian to replace Dimarco.
Possible Lineup for Switzerland:
Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Stergiou, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer; Ndoye, Vargas; Embolo
Possible Lineup for Italy:
Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Darmian; Cristante, Fagioli, Barella; Chiesa, Scamacca, Zaccagni
Prediction: Switzerland 1-1 Italy
Switzerland are very well-structured this time in Euro. They score five goals in their three games in the group round. But Switzerland have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their group round games.
Meanwhile, Italy are also not in their peak form. Their strikers are also not getting goals. Therefore, we predict a 1-1 draw between the two sides, leading them into the penalty shootout.
Betfair Odds
Switzerland: 3.38
Draw: 2.86
Italy: 2.56
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