Euro 2024: Can Italy beat the Swiss trap in the last 16?

Defending champions Italy will face a tricky Switzerland after making it to the round of 16 after narrowly making it past the group stage. Both teams finished their group stage campaigns second in Group A and B, with Switzerland collecting five points in Group A while Italy recorded four in Group B.

On paper, Italy and Switzerland seem evenly matched and their recent performances show that this might be a tightly contested encounter. But can the defending champion get over the Swiss trap to end Switzerland’s unbeaten run and secure a quart-final spot?

Here’s a preview for this Round of 16 game featuring Italy against Switzerland at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on 29th June.

Italy vs Switzerland Match Preview 

Defending champions Italy walk into this game after recording four points in the group stage to finish second in Group B. The Azzurri started their 2024 Euro campaign poorly, conceding the fastest goal in the tournament’s history during their opening game against Albania. However, they managed to turn the match around to a 2-1 victory.

The Italian endured a narrow 1-0 defeat by Spain in their second match, before registering a dramatic performance against Croatia where they registered a draw thanks to a late equalizer by Zaccagni. Coach Luciano Spalletti’s squad looks defensively solid, with Gianluigi Donnarumma imperious in goal. However, considering that Italy has struggled to find the net this season, we predict they will record a draw at full-time in this intriguing round of 16 fixture.

Switzerland, on the other side, heads into this game after registering six points to finish second in Group A behind tournament hosts, Germany. The Swiss team started their campaign well by crashing Hungary 3-1 in their opening game, before recording a 1-1 draw in the next two matches against Germany and Scotland.

Murat Yakin’s men have proven themselves as a formidable opponent for any team to beat and with a quarter-final spot on the line, they hope they can bounce back to their winning ways. The Swiss have only lost one match since their 2022 World Cup campaign and winning in this game would help them match their Euro best-ever performance recorded in 2020 when they reached the quarterfinals.  

Italy vs Switzerland team analysis

Switzerland will likely face Italy without the two key players. Midfielder Steven Zuber will be nursing an injury and Defender Silvan Widmer will be out on suspension after picking his second yellow card against Germany. However, the Swiss team is still strong, with the midfield duo of Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler shining in the tournament so far. Goalkeeper Yan Sommer and defenders Fabian Schar and Manuel Akanji have also held the fort excellently in their last three games.

Italy’s coach Luciano Spalleti also has several considerations to make when selecting his team. Defender Federico Dimarco hasn’t recovered from his injury and his absence might be felt as Matteo Darmain or Andrea Cambiaso strive to fill his place. Center-back Riccardo Calafiori will also be out despite his excellent performance at the defense alongside Alessandro Bastoni. However, the suspended center-back might be replaced with Alessandro Buongiorno or Gianluca Mancini.