England v Switzerland: Southgate expecting better on landmark Three Lions outing

Gareth Southgate expects a tough encounter against Switzerland but knows England must be better to secure progression to the semi-finals of Euro 2024.

Southgate will celebrate his 100th game in charge of the Three Lions in Dusseldorf, hopeful of marking the milestone with not only a win, but an improved performance.

Southgate may not have overseen his landmark fixture if it wasn’t for Jude Bellingham’s late intervention to send the game to extra-time against Slovakia.

Bellingham scored England’s latest ever goal in normal time at a major tournament in some style, turning home Marc Guehi’s header with a stunning bicycle kick.

Harry Kane headed England over the line just 50 seconds into extra-time, reaching a tournament quarter-final for a fourth time under Southgate’s stewardship.

“I can imagine how everybody’s going to react to that even though we’ve won, but we’re still in there,” Southgate said.

“We want to be better, I’m not going to hide from that. But the spirit and the character was there for everybody to see.”

Switzerland, however, have been one of the standout sides at the tournament thus far, knocking out Euro 2020 winners Italy in the quarter-finals.

Despite England’s favourable record against the Swiss, Southgate insists his side will face a different challenge in Dusseldorf.

“I think the game against the Swiss will throw completely different tactical problems, just as difficult, just as complex,” Southgate said. “A different solution to solve.”

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— England (@England) July 3, 2024

For Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin, he is confident of causing an upset to set up a clash with the Netherlands or Turkiye in the semi-finals.

A key feature of Switzerland’s style of play has been their intensity in the press, something Yakin believes can disrupt England.

“When we put on our pressing, we won’t let them play. That’s our job,” Yakin said.

“We played well against Germany, we played well against Italy, so why shouldn’t we beat England?

“We’re in a good mood now. Let’s see, it’s a good challenge and my team is ready to have this big fight against England.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

England – Kieran Trippier

Much has been made of Kieran Trippier’s poor performances at Euro 2024 so far, but he has proven to be a reliable attacking outlet for Southgate through the years.

The Three Lions are set to revert to a back three, a shape that brought them so much success at previous tournaments and could unlock Trippier’s attacking potential.

Tripppier has created more chances (seven) and made more line-breaking passes behind the defensive line (six) than any other England player at the tournament so far.

Switzerland – Granit Xhaka

A familiar face to many within the England camp, Granit Xhaka will be given the task of halting the influence of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.

But the former Arsenal midfielder has added an extra element to his game, often offering a threat in the more advanced areas for Switzerland.

Xhaka has created more chances (eight), completed more passes (254) and made more line-breaking passes (51) than any other Switzerland player so far at Euro 2024.

MATCH PREDICTION: ENGLAND WIN

Despite the nature of their victory over Slovakia, England are still predicted as favourites to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024, winning 44.9% of pre-match simulations in Opta’s data-led predictions.

The Three Lions have lost just one of their last 24 meetings with Switzerland in all competitions (17 wins, six draws), and are unbeaten in 13 (nine wins, four draws), which perhaps contributes to their favourable win probability.

This will be the fourth meeting between England and Switzerland at a major tournament, their third at the European Championships (two wins, one draw previously).

However, Switzerland have built new-found belief at these European Championships and will have confidence of causing an upset.

Yakin’s side have lost just one of their last 14 in the competition (five wins, eight draws), having endured a run of six losses in eight matches (two draws) at the tournament beforehand.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

England – 44.9%

Draw – 29%

Switzerland – 26%