Italy are looking to regain form following an ineffective start, hoping that Switzerland is an opportunity for them to do just that. Wing-back Silvan Widmer is suspended so Dan Ndoye, Remo Freuler or Ruben Vargas could come in as replacements in his absence.
Gianluigi Donnarumma will lead Italy from between the sticks as they boast an experienced midfield of Fagioli, Barella and Cristante alongside Jorginho Frattesi El Shaarawy in midfield.
In this article, we will discuss the high lights of Switzerland National Football Team vs Italy National Football Team Lineups.
Switzerland’s Starting Lineup (3-4-3 Formation):
| Position | Player Name | Role |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Yann Sommer | Goalkeeper |
| CB | Fabian Schär | Center-back |
| CB | Manuel Akanji | Center-back |
| CB | Ricardo Rodríguez | Center-back |
| RM | Fabian Rieder | Right Midfielder |
| CM | Granit Xhaka | Central Midfielder |
| CM | Remo Freuler | Central Midfielder |
| LM | Michel Aebischer | Left Midfielder |
| RW | Dan Ndoye | Right Winger |
| CF | Breel Embolo | Center Forward |
| LW | Ruben Vargas | Left Winger |
Italy’s Starting Lineup (4-3-3 Formation):
| Position | Player Name | Role |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Gianluigi Donnarumma | Goalkeeper |
| RB | Giovanni Di Lorenzo | Right Back |
| CB | Gianluca Mancini | Center-back |
| CB | Alessandro Bastoni | Center-back |
| LB | Matteo Darmian | Left Back |
| CM | Bryan Cristante | Central Midfielder |
| CM | Nicolò Fagioli | Central Midfielder |
| CM | Nicolò Barella | Central Midfielder |
| RW | Federico Chiesa | Right Winger |
| CF | Gianluca Scamacca | Center Forward |
| LW | Stephan El Shaarawy | Left Winger |
Italy National Football Team
Italy have struggled at Euro 2024 so far, only managing two successes with a 4-0 defeat against Spain and 1-1 tie with Croatia as their only successes. Now in the last-16, they face Switzerland under Murat Yakin who have already won their two opening games and could progress further if they win this game against Italy.
Yakin will likely start with the same team that started against Germany, although wing-back Silvan Widmer will miss out after receiving his second yellow card. Dan Ndoye, Nico Elvedi and Breel Embolo could all replace him in attack while Ruben Vargas will also likely feature.
Vargas and Xhaka have both been key figures for Switzerland at this tournament so far, setting up goals in each of their opening two games and setting up further goals themselves in each match-up with Italy this summer. It should make for an intriguing showdown, given both sides have established excellent rivalries over recent times.
First half begins at a steady pace, and Switzerland had more of the better chances during this initial period. Yago Kuqi struck the crossbar from just outside the box with his low shot from outside, while Federico Chiesa fired wide with his volley attempt. Unfortunately neither team were successful in finding their rhythm and it ended goallessly.
Even after an initially slow start, Italy eventually found their rhythm in the second half. They looked much more dangerous on the break, with an excellent free-kick from Nicolo Fagioli hitting Donnarumma’s hands hard enough for him to receive treatment from them.
After just minutes, Vargas launches a volley from the edge of the box that flies high over the bar, followed by Pellegrini inhaling an loose ball inside his area where his attempt at sidefooting over his goalkeeper ultimately fails.
As Rieder runs onto a through ball from Xhaka, he is caught offside, with the referee ruling that his arm was raised in an attempt to dive. When appeals from Italian players come forward regarding this ruling, the referee waives them away without consideration of them.
Switzerland National Football Team
Switzerland have an experienced squad and possess impressive defensive credentials at the highest level, but are equally adept in defence. They prefer possession-based football with plenty of players from top leagues; their tactics consist of quick passes directly into strikers’ feet or bodies for breaking press pressure; long runs are then undertaken to support this passing and open space for attacks on goal.
Murat Yakin made just one change to the starting XI that played Scotland to a 1-1 draw in their Group B match in their last match, Breel Embolo replacing Xherdan Shaqiri as Swiss coach chooses a more cautious approach against superior opponents. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer will likely keep his spot after impressing against Scotland, while Raoul Benedikt will rejoin Michael Lang and Roman Burki on defence.
Switzerland will host their inaugural European Championship match and is hoping for an impressive victory to boost their chances of reaching the quarter-finals. Granit Xhaka of Manchester City’s midfield, has 135 caps for Switzerland as he leads his side’s effort, alongside senior members Remo Freuler, Ricardo Rodriguez and Manuel Akanji.
Italy have not defeated Switzerland since their 2-0 World Cup quarter-final victory in 2006. Since then, both teams have faced each other at Euros tournaments; both matches ended in draws.
The Swiss are unbeaten through four games at this tournament and they stand a realistic chance of beating England to reach the semi-finals. Their attack has also been potent thus far with players such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Renato Fabiani and Remo Freuler performing admirably thus far.
Germany manager Joachim Low will aim to maintain his perfect record against Switzerland on Wednesday night. He is unlikely to make changes, despite both Antonio Rudiger and Jonathan Tah being issued yellow cards, while midfielder Ilkay Gundogan may lead his side alongside Maximilian Mittelstadt and Robert Andrich providing support for Kai Havertz up front.
Lineups
Today in Berlin, Switzerland and Italy are set to meet in what should be a closely contested matchup. Murat Yakin’s side come into this encounter having put in an impressive group stage performance – only a late Niclas Fullkrug equaliser against Germany prevented them from topping Group A. Meanwhile, holders Italy were less than impressive against Croatia last time out and will hope for redemption this evening.
Italy will be without their starting right defender Riccardo Calafiori who was suspended following two yellow cards during group phase play. Matteo Darmian should fill his left-back spot, with Roma winger Stephan El Shaarawy expected to provide support on the right. Both players possessing deep playing capabilities can contribute while also tracking back, making Italy dangerous in attack of opposing half.
Luciano Spalletti will likely field a four-man defence and feature three Inter Milan players in his starting lineup for Italy against Uruguay on Wednesday night. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer will protect the goal while Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Ranocchia and Fabio Quagliarella should form the backline; Federico Dimarco could be replaced with more defensive-minded Matteo Fagioli; while Bryan Cristante should maintain his place up front of the back four.
Breel Embolo will start for Switzerland up front, having had an opportunity to score in the 24th minute but being denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Daniel Akanji and Granit Xhaka will also start with Dan Ndoye/Ruben Vargas joining their ranks if available.
The Swiss have tasted success at Euros competition before with their opening ever competitive match of 1992 against England at Gelsenkirchen with a 2-0 victory. Since then they are winless but came close to topping their group after drawing against Germany after dropping just one match during qualifying campaign. Former Udinese full-back Silvan Widmer remains questionable due to an injury; Leonidas Stergiou will likely step in as right flank replacement; although only scoring once so far against less clinical Italian opposition could put Switzerland in the quarter finals.
Predictions
Italy are strong on paper, yet struggled against Hungary in their Group H match last weekend. If they want to avoid defeat and move onto the next round of competition they will need to improve their defensive performance and qualify without Kevin De Bruyne who remains injured as their star player – making their task even harder!
Switzerland can be very dangerous if they play to their strengths. Their attack consists of multiple attacking players who can make things happen; their ball movement and counterattacking tactics create plenty of problems for opponents, yet finishing needs some improvement – strikers Noah Okafor and Cedric Itten must become more consistent scoring sources to lead Switzerland’s scoring efforts.
Switzerland defeated Croatia 2-0, though this result was marred by controversial refereeing decisions. Switzerland now look poised to make an impressionful statement against England in their next matchup.
Both teams feature similar rosters with players from top European leagues. Switzerland boasts more youth in its lineup compared to their opponents; however, experience will play a crucial role in this matchup. Both sides will strive to control midfield; however Switzerland would gain an edge by keeping possession away from opponents.
Manager Murat Yakin will likely select a similar lineup against Italy, with Xherdan Shaqiri likely starting off on the bench. In order to be effective for his team, Shaqiri must work on his consistency and form in combination with Vargas, Okafor or Itten and focus more on that combination than on individual talent alone.
Gareth Southgate of England will likely remain true to his winning formula while improving the quality of his backline and forward line. Switzerland presents him with a formidable challenge due to their high organization and confident approach on the ball.
