Italy’s gamers attend a coaching session on the base camp in Iserlohn on June 28, 2024, on the eve of their UEFA Euro 2024 Spherical of 16 soccer match in opposition to Switzerland.
| Photograph Credit score: AFP
Defending champion Italy goals to proceed its dominance over Switzerland to succeed in the quarterfinals of the European Championship on June 29. Switzerland hasn’t overwhelmed Italy for 31 years and has solely eight wins from their earlier 61 conferences. However the Swiss are unbeaten this 12 months and their solely loss in 2023 got here within the final sport of qualifying. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. native (1600 GMT) on Saturday. Right here’s what to know concerning the match:
— Italy has fond recollections of taking part in at Berlin’s Olympiastadion after beating France on penalties within the 2006 World Cup closing in its final sport within the stadium, the place it additionally defeated Austria 2-1 within the closing of the 1936 Olympic Video games.
— Up to now, Euro 2024 has been a troublesome expertise for the Azzuri, conceding after simply 23 seconds in its opening 2-1 win over Albania, then being completely outclassed in a 1-0 defeat to Spain, earlier than it wanted a last-second strike from Italy substitute Mattia Zaccagni to salvage a 1-1 draw in opposition to Croatia to complete runner-up in Group B.
— Switzerland opened with a 3-1 win over Hungary earlier than 1-1 attracts in opposition to Scotland and host nation Germany.
— Switzerland and Italy confronted one another in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. They drew each video games and the Swiss completed high of the group to qualify. Italy misplaced to North Macedonia within the playoffs and missed out. It was the Italians’ second successive failure to qualify for the World Cup.
— Switzerland gamers Yann Sommer, Ricardo Rodríguez, Remo Freuler, Noah Okafor, Michel Aebischer, Dan Ndoye, Dennis Zakaria, Silvan Widmer and Xherdan Shaqiri have all performed in Italy’s Serie A.
— In distinction, defender Federico Dimarco is the one member of Italy’s squad to have performed in Switzerland, spending one season at Sion in 2017-18.
— The winner will face England or Slovakia within the quarterfinals in Düsseldorf on July 6.
— Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori is suspended, left again Federico Dimarco is out with an damage, and fellow defender Alessandro Bastoni’s availability is in query. “Bastoni must be assessed tomorrow as a result of he did a portion of the coaching session immediately … however then he had a little bit of a setback. So, he’s had a couple of levels of fever. However then we tried to let him relaxation up, and he had his first coaching session there, and he’s already quite a bit higher. However we have to see in a single day how he responds,” Italy coach Luciano Spalletti mentioned on Friday. Spalletti added Gianluca Mancini will exchange the suspended Calafiori “as a result of he’s received the correct quantity of expertise.”
— Defender Silvan Widmer is suspended for Switzerland and a lot of gamers, together with Granit Xhaka, are at risk of lacking the following match if booked.
— Switzerland didn’t progress past the group stage in its first three European Championship appearances, nevertheless it has since reached the knockout stage in every of it final three tournaments.
— Italy has scored in every of its earlier six matches on the Olympiastadion.
— Switzerland has received solely considered one of its 4 penalty shootouts at a World Cup or Euros, whereas Italy grew to become the primary staff to win a couple of on the similar European Championship within the final version. Italy defeated 3-2 England on penalties to win the 2021 Euros.
“We all know that we’re up in opposition to very awkward clients within the form of Switzerland. The outcomes bear witness to that. Up to now in Euro 2024, there have been groups the place nobody gave them the prospect to really make it by to the knockout stage, whereas they’ve then made it by to the spherical of 16, and deservedly so.” — Italy coach Luciano Spalletti.
“No staff is completely happy to play in opposition to Italy as a result of we’ve a footballing historical past. We’re reigning champions and it’s by no means straightforward to play in opposition to us.” — Italy winger Stephan El Shaarawy.
“We’ve executed our homework. We haven’t simply checked out these final three video games, we’ve additionally studied Italy’s earlier matches earlier than the match. However we’ve at all times been struck by how Italy can combine issues up by way of personnel and form. We’re prepared for Italy’s alternate options. We’re conversant in Italy.” — Switzerland coach Murat Yakin.
