Defending World Cup champions France will take on Switzerland in the round of 16 clash.
Venue: National Arena
Key Statistics
- France wrapped the group stage with no defeats and topped the group that consisted of Germany, Portugal and Hungary
- Les Bleus remains unbeaten over the last two years and have lost only one of their last 17 matches at EUROs, with the defeat coming against Portugal in Euro 2016 final.
- Switzerland were rather fluctuating in the European Championship thus far but finished the group stage on a high note by thrashing Turkey 3-1.
Head to Head
- France 16 wins; 10 Draws; Switzerland 12 wins; France scored 67 gaols, against 60 by Switzerland (in total 38 matches)
- France hold the edge in terms of head-to-head record as they haven’t been beaten in their last seven meetings with Swiss – 3W and 4D.
Recent Performances
France: WWWWDD (Goals for 11, Goals Against 3)
Switzerland: WWWDLW. (Goals for 16, Goals Against 8)
France
France will kick off their knockout rounds against Switzerland and would look to extend their unbeaten run.
After topping the Group F (Group of Death), Les Bleus have drawn a favourable opponent, Switzerland, with whom they hold an impressive track record.
Although Didier Deschamps’ men have been deemed the favourites of the competition, they struggled to scrape up results against Portugal and Hungary, with the latter one causing more problems with their defensive tactics.
Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann are looking in great form while Kylian Mbappe is yet to open his account.
Possible line-ups (France)
Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane, Presnal Kimpembe, Benjamin Pavard, Leo Dubois, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema.
Unavailable: Digne (hamstring), Dembélé (knee)
Doubtful: Lucas Hernandez (knee), Thuram (groin)
Misses next match if booked: Griezmann, Hernandez, Kimpembe, Lloris, Pavard
They’re a well-structured team and they have good attacking potential with [Haris] Seferović, [Breel] Embolo and [Xherdan] Shaqiri. We must not underestimate them and it’s a knockout game so we’ll have to do everything we can to ensure we have smiles on our faces at the end of the match. The heatwave in Budapest [during France’s final group stage game] had an impact. We’ve had an extra day between games, five rather than four, while our opponents have had eight days, which is better. It’s hot here too, but a bit easier to cope with.
Didier Deschamps, France
Switzerland
Switzerland will look to capitalise on the emphatic win against Turks as they prepare for their toughest test yet.
Vladimir Petkovic’s side can take a leaf out of Hungary’s books and stifle France’s attack with a strong defensive block.’
Furthermore, they have got top talents like Xherdan Shaqiri and Steven Zuber, who both had a great outing against the Turks.
Possible line-ups (Switzerland)
Yann Sommer, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, Mbabu, Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, Steven Zuber, Xherdan Shaqiri, Haris Seferovic, Breel Embolo
Misses next match if booked: Embolo, Gavranović, Mbabu, Schar, Xhaka
We need to stay focused and create chances. Everyone thinks that France will win and perhaps that’s an advantage for us. We won’t have many chances, but when we do have them, we need to score.
Ricardo Rodriguez, Switzerland
Probability
France : Draw : Switzerland :: 63% : 24%: 13%
Prediction
France 2 – 0 Switzerland
