Kathmandu. The third quarter-final match of Eurocup football is being played on Saturday night. In that match, former runners-up England will face Switzerland. The game will start at 21:45 in Nepali time.
England won Group ‘C’ and reached the knockout stage of the competition. England is undefeated in the ongoing edition of the Eurocup so far. England won one of the three matches in the group stage and drew two matches.
England beat Serbia 1-0 in their first match. In the second match, the England team was held to a 1-1 draw with Denmark. In the third match too, England’s team was held to a goalless draw with Slovenia.
Switzerland entered the pre-quarterfinals by becoming runners-up in the group stage. Switzerland is also undefeated in the ongoing Eurocup. Switzerland, which is in Group ‘A’, also won one match and tied two matches.
Switzerland beat Hungary 3-1 in their first match. In their second match, the Swiss team was held to a 1-1 draw with Scotland. In the third game, the Swiss team was held to a 1-1 draw with the host Germany.Â
In the pre-quarterfinals of the competition, Switzerland defeated the previous winners Italy by 2-0 goals. Even in the current edition, Italy was seen as a strong contender for the title. However, after defeating the same Italy, Switzerland has given a swift warning to the upcoming opponents to be careful with them.Â
On the other hand, England beat Slovakia 2-1 in the extra time in the pre-quarterfinal match and confirmed their place in the last eight. It is expected that the quarter-final match between these two teams, who are undefeated so far, will be exciting.Â
In the latest rankings published by the World Football Federation, England is in fifth place and Switzerland in 19th place. This is Switzerland’s sixth participation in the Eurocup. Switzerland played the Eurocup for the first time in 1996. Switzerland has not even reached the finals of the Eurocup so far.Â
Similarly, this is England’s 11th participation in the Eurocup. England has started participating in the Eurocup since the third edition completed in 1968. England was third in the first participation. At that time, there was also a fight for the third place.Â
At that time, England beat the Soviet Union 2-0 in the third place match. England has yet to win the European Cup. England lost 3-2 to Italy in the 2020 final in a penalty shootout.Â
Switzerland also performed well in the ongoing Eurocup qualifiers. Switzerland was runner-up in the qualifying tournament. From that group, Romania was the first to qualify for the Eurocup.Â
Out of 10 matches Switzerland played in the qualifying stage, they won four matches, tied five matches and lost one match. Switzerland scored a total of 22 goals and conceded 11 goals in the qualifying stage.
Likewise, England’s performance in the ongoing Eurocup qualifiers was even better. England went undefeated in the qualifying tournament and entered the Eurocup as the winner of their group. England won six out of eight matches and drew two matches. England scored a total of 22 goals in the qualifying tournament and conceded four goals.
A total of 27 matches have been played between England and Switzerland in international football. England looks strong in that. England beat Switzerland in 19 matches. Switzerland has defeated England in only three matches. The remaining five matches ended in a draw.
England and Switzerland have been familiar rivals for a long time. The first clash between these two nations took place on May 20, 1933. England won that match 4-0. The last match between these two teams was played on March 26, 2022. In that match too, England won 2-1.Â
In the ongoing Eurocup, England is under the head coach of Gareth Southgate. England’s team includes Jordan Pickford (goalkeeper), Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, John Stones and Phil Foden, Manchester United’s Luke Shaw, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane (captain), and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. Â
Similarly, Switzerland has entered the 17th edition of the Eurocup under the head coach of Murat Yakin. The Swiss team includes experienced players such as Inter Milan’s Jan Sommer (goalkeeper), Bayer Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka (captain), Monaco’s Brill Embolo and Denis Zakaria, and Milan’s Noah Okafor.
England’s Journey:
- Group Stage Performance: England topped Group ‘C’ and remained undefeated. They secured one win and two draws in the group stage.
- Matches:
- England 1-0 Serbia
- England 1-1 Denmark
- England 0-0 Slovenia
- Matches:
- Pre-Quarterfinals: England defeated Slovakia 2-1 in extra time to reach the quarter-finals.
Switzerland’s Journey:
- Group Stage Performance: Switzerland, as runners-up in Group ‘A’, also remained undefeated with one win and two draws.
- Matches:
- Switzerland 3-1 Hungary
- Switzerland 1-1 Scotland
- Switzerland 1-1 Germany
- Matches:
- Pre-Quarterfinals: Switzerland upset former champions Italy with a 2-0 victory.
Historical Context:
- Head-to-Head: England has dominated past encounters with Switzerland, winning 19 out of 27 matches. Switzerland has won three matches, while five ended in draws.
- First Encounter: May 20, 1933, England won 4-0.
- Last Encounter: March 26, 2022, England won 2-1.
Team Highlights:
- England: Coached by Gareth Southgate, the team includes prominent players like Jordan Pickford (goalkeeper), Kyle Walker, John Stones, Phil Foden, Luke Shaw, Bukayo Saka, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Kane (captain), and Jude Bellingham.
- Switzerland: Under head coach Murat Yakin, key players include Jan Sommer (goalkeeper), Granit Xhaka (captain), Brill Embolo, Denis Zakaria, and Noah Okafor.
Match Expectations:
- England’s Rank: Fifth in the latest World Football Federation rankings.
- Switzerland’s Rank: Nineteenth.
- History in Eurocup:
- England: This is their 11th participation, with the best finish being third place in 1968.
- Switzerland: Sixth participation, yet to reach the finals.
Qualifying Performance:
- England: Undefeated in qualifiers, winning six out of eight matches, scoring 22 goals, and conceding four.
- Switzerland: Runner-up in their group, winning four, drawing five, and losing one out of 10 matches, scoring 22 goals, and conceding 11.
Discussion about this post