Switzerland meet Italy in Berlin looking to keep their impressive momentum going, while Denmark will aim to end Germany’s UEFA EURO 2024 adventure in their round of 16 tie in Dortmund.
Switzerland will look to punch above their weight once more as they take on holders Italy in the first UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 game, while hosts Germany are keen to keep the party going as they take on resilient Denmark.
We preview the action in Berlin and Dortmund.
Switzerland vs Italy (Berlin)
“After this game, I hope everyone has a little bit more respect for Switzerland,” said captain Granit Xhaka following his side’s 1-1 draw against Germany. Murat Yakin’s team have been inspired so far, with Xhaka (fresh from winning a domestic double with Leverkusen) helping to galvanise a squad that feels like more than the sum of its parts,
Not that Xhaka is the only winner in the Swiss ranks, of course, as midfielder Fabian Rieder was quick to remind EURO2024.com: “We have Yann [Sommer], who just won the Italian league with Inter, and Manuel [Akanji], who just won the English league title with Man City. So, we certainly don’t need to cower [against Italy].”
Given the trouble Italy had in getting through their group (they needed a last-ditch goal against Croatia to finish as runners-up), Luciano Spalletti’s side may be the ones trembling a little as they head for Berlin. The Azzurri beat Switzerland 3-0 on their way to winning EURO 2020, but the current crop may not find it so easy.
However, winger Stephan El Shaarawy maintains that Italy’s billing as favourites for this game is fully justified. “No team is happy to play against Italy because we have a footballing history,” he said. “We are reigning champions and it is never easy to play against us.”
Key stat: Barring that 3-0 win for Italy at EURO 2020, the last five games between these sides have ended level.
Germany vs Denmark (Dortmund)
A 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Matchday 3 has perhaps cooled some of the optimism around the hosts following a flying start at the finals, but the manner in which Julian Nagelsmann’s men battled for a point – Nicklas Füllkrug hitting the late equaliser – showed a different side to their character.
National team sporting director Rudi Völler knows Germany will be up against it in Dortmund, characterising Denmark as “physically tough and strong in the air”. The former striker was an eye witness to perhaps the most famous Germany vs Denmark game of all, when the team he was forced to leave due to a broken arm lost in the final of EURO ’92. Of the modern Denmark side, he added: “It’s hard to create chances against them, but they sometimes struggle to score themselves.”
Kasper Hjulmand’s charges drew all three of their group stage games, a measure of their resilience and, as Völler suggested, perhaps the difficulty they have had in carving sides open. Nevertheless, Wolfsburg defender Joakim Mæhle knows he and his team-mates can raise themselves for such big occasions.
“Germany are a good team, and we know what they are about,” he said. “They are at home, but to win a tournament you need to beat everybody. Whether we face them now, in the semi-finals or the quarter-finals, it doesn’t matter. We need to beat them.”
Key stat: Three of the four most recent games between these sides have ended in draws, raising the possibility that it could come down to a shoot-out in Dortmund.