When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups?
Switzerland and Italy meet in the Round Of 16 match at UEFA EURO 2024.
Switzerland and Italy at a glance
When: Sunday 30 June (00:00 GMT+8 kick-off)
Where: Olympiastadion, Berlin
What: UEFA EURO 2024 Round Of 16
What do you need to know?
Switzerland comfortably progressed from Group A, remaining unbeaten and even going close to finishing above Germany before a stoppage-time Niclas Füllkrug equaliser from the hosts in their final game left them as runners-up. Murat Yakin’s side certainly don’t appear overawed by any opponents they face and will have no fear against holders Italy in Berlin. “The first step is done,” captain Granit Xhaka said. “We’re looking forward to the next round and our next opponents. I hope everyone has a little bit more respect for Switzerland now.”
Italy, meanwhile, needed a dramatic 98th-minute equaliser against Croatia from Mattia Zaccagni to seal second place in Group B, a moment which could prove pivotal in their campaign. “We’re going step by step,” said forward Mateo Retegui. “We’ll play against another strong team in Switzerland but we want to win and go forward.” These two sides met in the group stage of EURO 2020, with Italy triumphing 3-0 in Rome. Don’t be surprised if this round of 16 tie is a much closer affair.
Possible line-ups
Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Darmian; Barella, Fagioli, Cristante; Chiesa, Scamacca, El Shaarawy
Suspended: Calafiori
Misses next match if booked: Cristante, Donnarumma, Fagioli, Pellegrini
Switzerland: Sommer; Schär, Akanji, Rodríguez; Stergiou, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer; Ndoye, Embolo, Vargas
Suspended: Widmer
Misses next match if booked: Freuler, Ndoye, Rodríguez, Sierro, Xhaka
Italy:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DLWWDW
Switzerland:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DDWDWW
Paolo Menicucci, Italy reporter
Italy’s last-gasp goal against Croatia gave them a sense of serenity which was especially evident by Luciano Spalletti’s spontaneous decision to open up their Wednesday training session to fans and media. As usual, predicting their line-up is only an educated guess as Spalletti likes to spring the odd surprise but, if the Azzurri needed a spark in this tournament, Zaccagni’s goal may just have provided it.
Anna-Sophia Vollmerhausen, Switzerland reporter
Switzerland are appearing in the knockouts of the EUROs for the third straight tournament, and are primed to pose a challenge for the reigning European champions. Smart tactics and a real sense of unity within the team have defined their campaign so far – one that will hopefully not be over just yet in Berlin come Saturday evening.
Views from the camps
Luciano Spalletti, Italy coach: “We know we are up against very awkward customers in Switzerland. We have not managed to show all our potential so far, or maybe we only did so for a few moments. We deserved to qualify, even if we needed a last-gasp goal, but we need to take it up a step, especially in terms of personality.”
Murat Yakin, Switzerland coach: “We have fought very hard to make it here, and these are special games. Year in year out with the Switzerland national team there are some very interesting games. We’re very happy to play against Italy, and I think it will be a very open game. I don’t want to be drawn on who the favourite is. We know about their quality, their tactics and temperament, so it will certainly be special and we hope it can pan out the same way as our recent previous meetings.”