UEFA Euro 2024 Pre-Quarter
29 June, 2024 - Indian Date
Olympiastadion Berlin
MATCH TIMES
India
09:30 PM
UAE
08:00 PM
Saudi Arabia
07:00 PM
FULL TIME
Italy possible starting lineup: Donnarumma; Darmian, Mancini, Bastoni; Di Lorenzo, Barella, Jorginho, Pellegrini, Dimarco; Chiesa, Scamacca
Switzerland possible starting lineup: Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Stergiou, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer; Ndoye, Vargas; Embolo
Match Preview
Familiar foes Switzerland and Italy will clash at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday evening to kick off the Euro 2024 knockout phase. The winner of this last-16 tie will face either England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals.
Switzerland, on the verge of upsetting the tournament hosts, were denied victory by a late Germany goal in their final group match last Sunday, but they advanced to the knockout rounds unbeaten. Dan Ndoye scored for the Swiss in the 28th minute in Frankfurt, but Niclas Fullkrug's stoppage-time equalizer left Switzerland with five points, finishing just behind their neighbors and ahead of Hungary and Scotland.
Under coach Murat Yakin, Switzerland followed an opening win with a draw against Steve Clarke's side and nearly defeated Germany. They have now reached the elimination phase in each of the last six major tournaments since 2014. However, excluding shootouts, Switzerland have failed to win any of their seven previous last-16 matches at the Euros or World Cup outright, progressing to the quarter-finals only once. Their last significant triumph was a comeback win against France three summers ago, where they prevailed on penalties.
Switzerland have lost only once in their last 13 European Championship matches, a 3-0 defeat to Italy at Euro 2020. They have not beaten Italy in 11 games since a World Cup qualifier in 1993.
Italy, historically dominant over Switzerland, have struggled since failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Penalty misses by Jorginho in qualifiers against Switzerland cost them dearly, and they narrowly avoided a playoff to reach Euro 2024. Italy won their opener against Albania but lost to Spain, and a dramatic draw with Croatia secured their place in the knockout rounds. Mattia Zaccagni's stoppage-time goal against Croatia was crucial in keeping Italy's title defense alive.
Despite World Cup qualifying woes, Italy have reached the Euro quarter-finals every time since 2004. Facing Switzerland, they aim to continue that streak and possibly set up a rematch of their Euro 2020 final against England. Both Italy’s Luciano Spalletti and England's Gareth Southgate are under pressure to perform.
For Switzerland, Leonidas Stergiou will replace the suspended Silvan Widmer. Ruben Vargas and Zeki Amdouni are pushing for starting roles, while Breel Embolo, returning from injury, is expected to lead the attack. Captain Granit Xhaka will partner with Remo Freuler in midfield, and Inter Milan’s Yann Sommer will guard the goal.
Italy must replace the suspended Riccardo Calafiori, with Gianluca Mancini likely stepping into defense. With pre-tournament injuries to Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini, Italy’s defense remains flexible. Gianluca Scamacca may return in place of Mateo Retegui, and Federico Chiesa or Mattia Zaccagni could replace Giacomo Raspadori in the attack.
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