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Switzerland European Championship Record
Group stage: 1996, 2004, 2008
Did not qualify: 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2012
Total: W1 D2 L6 5:13
Switzerland Euro 2021 Qualifying Record
W7 D0 L3 24:8
Switzerland Euro 2021 Group Fixtures
11th June @15:00 – Albania vs Switzerland (Stade Bollaert, Lens)
15th June @18:00 – Romania vs Switzerland (Parc des Princes, Paris)
19th June @21:00 – Switzerland vs France (Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille)
Road to Euro 2021
Switzerland began the Euro 2021 qualifiers as one of the favourites for top 2 positions in their group and they justified the predictions to finish in second place, behind perfect England. Not everything went smoothly though as the Rossocrociati were in problems after losing to England and Slovenia in their opening two fixtures, but five straight wins that followed ensured Vladimir Petkovic’s side qualified for the tournament finals.
The home win over Slovenia, where Switzerland came from two goals down to record a 3-2 triumph, proved decisive in the final count and showed just what this team are capable of. Coach Vladimir Petkovic didn’t make too many changes during the qualifying campaign as he heavily relied on the team that performed admirably at the 2014 World Cup finals, although it was later revealed that first choice striker Josip Drmic would miss the tournament in France through injury.
Style of Play
Switzerland had long been on the fringes of European football, but good times appear to have come at last. It was the famous Ottmar Hitzfeld who led the Rossocrociati to the 2014 World Cup finals, and he nicely utilised the potential of one of the most talented generations in Swiss football. The German eventually made way for Vladimir Petkovic, who has adopted an even more adventurous style of play, while introducing strict rules in an attempt to further improve the team spirit.
His ideas appear to have worked as Switzerland looked good throughout the qualifying campaign, even though they should have done better in matches vs group winners England. Vladimir Petkovic prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Haris Seferovic will lead the line in the absence of Josip Drmic, and the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Admir Mehmedi and Breel Embolo will be making forward runs behind enemy lines.
When things are not going according to the plan, Petkovic switches to 4-3-1-2, where Xherdan Shaqiri assumes the role of playmaker, operating behind the two strikers. In both cases, full-backs Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ricardo Rodriguez will be looking for every opportunity to join attacks and provide extra width to stretch opposition defences.
The midfield duo of Granit Xhaka and Valon Behrami not only provides support for the back four, doing plenty of dirty work, but they also start Switzerland attacks, passing to fellow midfielders in front of them, while holding their position, ready to break any counter-attacks that are inevitable to be launched.
While Vladimir Petkovic wants his side to take “calculated risks”, they will at times leave a lot of space behind, with their back four standing quite high, which leaves them open to swift counter-attacks. Due to numerous injuries, the coach couldn’t really decide on the preferred centre-back pairing, although it looks as though Johan Djourou and Fabian Schar will be given the nod, provided they arrive in France in good shape.
Strong Points
- Dangerous when going forward
- Attacking full-backs
- Xherdan Shaqiri excels when playing for Nati
- Flexible formation
- Xhaka and Behrami form very good midfield partnership
- Hungry for success
Weak Spots
- Lack of quality options at centre forward
- Prone to counter-attacks
- No established centre-back pairing
- Top scorer Josip Drmic missing
Switzerland Euro 2021 Starting Line-Up
Missing: Josip Drmic (injury), Gokhan Inler (overlooked), Timm Klose (injury)
Prediction
Switzerland appear to have more potential than they are showing and much will depend on how they start the tournament, facing Albania in their opening fixture. The Rossocrociati have enough quality to get past the group stage, but we are not convinced they can reach the final stages. The Swiss have enough creative outlets in the side, but with Josip Drmic missing, there will be a lot of pressure on Haris Seferovic to perform, and he is not exactly a world-class striker.
It is important to note that Switzerland have struggled when facing top sides in the Euro 2021 qualifiers, while losing three of four international friendlies in the build up to the tournament finals. Vladimir Petkovic’s side tend to play attack-minded football, and while they usually create quite a few goalscoring opportunities, their back line is not good enough to withstand heavy pressure or cope with frequent counter-attacks. All things considered, we don’t think Switzerland will get past the first knockout stage.
IST Tip: Switzerland to qualify from Group A
Odds: 1.50 (1/2) @888sport
Interesting Markets
*France/Switzerland Group A straight forecast is 2.75 (7/4) @Betfair
*Switzerland to reach quarter-finals is 2.62 (13/8) @Betfair
*Switzerland to reach semi-finals is 8.25 (29/4) @Unibet
Switzerland Euro 2021 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Yann Sommer (Borussia M’gladbach), Roman Burki (Borussia Dortmund), Marwin Hitz (Augsburg);
Defenders: Johan Djourou (Hamburg), Steve von Bergen (Young Boys), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg), Fabian Schar (Hoffenheim), Michael Lang (FC Basel), Francois Moubandje (Toulouse), Nico Elvedi (Borussia M’gladbach);
Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Watford), Fabian Frei (FC Basel), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Gelson Fernandes (Rennes), Blerim Dzemaili (Genoa), Granit Xhaka (Borussia M’gladbach), Denis Zakaria (Young Boys), Shani Tarashaj (Grasshoppers);
Forwards: Admir Mehmedi (Bayer Leverkusen), Haris Seferovic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Breel Embolo (FC Basel), Eren Derdiyok (Kasimpasa).
Last updated: 5th June 2016
