England and Switzerland go head-to-head in Dusseldorf with a place in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 up for grabs.
Gareth Southgate’s side have under-performed in Germany, limping through their group with one win and two draws, before a last-gasp goal from Jude Bellingham rescued them from defeat against Slovakia in the round of 16. Bellingham’s stunning overhead kick deep into injury time cancelled out Ivan Schranz’s opener and paved the way for captain Harry Kane to win it for the Three Lions in the extra period.
Switzerland have looked the stronger of the two sides. In the group stage, they eased past Hungary 3-1 before a 1-1 draw with Scotland and a 1-1 draw with Germany – with Murat Yakin’s men only denied a famous win due to Niclas Fullkrug’s late equaliser for the tournament hosts. In the round of 16 they powered past defending champions Italy 2-0.
📰 Table Of Contents
Team News
Having played with a 4-4-2 formation in the four previous games at Euro 2024, Southgate, for whom it is a 100th game in charge of England, has switched to 3-4-3.
Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa comes in for the suspended Marc Guehi to make up a backline that also includes Kyle Walker and John Stones. Kiran Trippier surprisingly gets the nod over Trent Alexander-Arnold as right wing-back with Bukayo Saka operating down the left.
Kobbie Mainoo and Declan Rice continue in the centre of midfield, behind two number 10s in Phil Foden and Bellingham. Captain Harry Kane leads the line.
Switzerland are unchanged from the side that played so well against Italy.
Your #ThreeLions to take on Switzerland! 👊 pic.twitter.com/90NRQwaBg4
— England (@England) July 6, 2024
Confirmed line-ups
England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Konsa, Trippier, Saka, Rice, Mainoo, Foden, Bellingham, Kane
Switzerland: Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Rieder, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer; Ndoye, Embolo, Vargas
What they said
Southgate accepts Switzerland represent a step up in class, although he remains confident in his players.
He said: “Switzerland have been excellent. They have good players and a clear way of playing that has caused other teams problems. We’ll have to find another level.
“You want to play as well as you can. Every team wants to excite. We’ve had opponents who have made it very difficult for us and there’s been a lot of expectation on the team. The team look different in training now, much more fluid.”
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Whichever formation England play, Yakin is confident his team will be able to adapt.
He said: “We don’t know what England plan to do. They have a lot of quality. We’re in good shape, confident and we have shown already that we can mix it against big teams – against the defending champions [Italy], the hosts [Germany]. We will cause England problems.
“Everyone is working towards a common goal. We’re happy to be here, living the moment. We’ve played well, caused big opponents problems. The mood in the camp is very good. We are developing together.”
