France and Switzerland will meet on Monday, June 28, at Arena Națională in Bucharest, for the EURO 2020 knockouts. The Red Crosses have already made it to the final 16 at EURO in 2016 when they got eliminated by Poland, and while they should know that their chances to advance are slim, Vladimir Petković’s should feel confident that they can give the reigning world champions a hard time tonight.
France vs Switzerland
When: Monday, June 28 – 22:00 EEST
Where: Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania
Weather: Clear, 23°C
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
The world champions have set their eyes on another trophy. France want to get a hold of the EURO 2020 title, and according to bookmakers, they’re likely to do it.
Les Bleus are currently priced as the top favourites to hoist the trophy that slipped through their fingers five years ago when they lost to Portugal in the final.
On the road to a new final, their first obstacle is Switzerland, who have yet to impress at the tournament, but the fact is that the Swiss have quality in the squad. The question is whether that’s enough to cause a major upset?
Injury Worries for Deschamps
France finished at the very top of the table in Group F, leaving behind Germany and Portugal. However, they weren’t very impressive during their run through the group stage, at least not as remarkable as everyone expected from them.
In their first game of the tournament, Didier Deschamps’ men beat Germany thanks to an own goal scored by Mats Hummels. In the second game, they played a 1-1 draw with Hungary, who had a number of chances to upset the French. In their final game of the group stage, France managed a 2-2 draw against Portugal to round up their streak of iffy showings.
Among the most criticised players for the team’s poor performances are goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and their forward Kylian Mbappe. Lloris did make a couple of good saves so far, but he did also concede plenty of goals. When it comes to Mbappe, the PSG striker has yet to deliver – he’s still without a goal to his name at EURO 2020.
Apart from the not-too-impressive form, there’s another reason why France fans should be concerned ahead of tonight’s game. Their coach Didier Deschamps will not be able to count on several players.
Les Bleus will be without Ousmane Dembele and Lucas Digne, who are out with injuries. In addition, Lucas Hernandez, Thomas Lemar, and Lilian Thuram are all struggling with fitness.
The Swiss Showing Signs of Improvement
The Red Crosses started their EURO 2020 campaign with a draw with Wales. To that, they added a 0-3 loss to Italy 3-0, but bounced back with a commanding victory against Turkey to secure a place in the final 16.
The Swiss won that game 3-1, but it could’ve easily been much bigger. Switzerland were fantastic from the start, ending the match with 23 goal attempts, 10 of which were aimed between the posts.
The win against Turkey was their sixth of 2021. Since the turn of the year, Switzerland lost only one match (vs Italy) and drew once (vs Wales).
The reason behind Switzerland’s decent form in 2021 is that they have a solid squad that looks powerful in all areas of the game. Sure, they might not have as many star names as France, but they do look capable of giving the world champions a run for their money.
France vs Switzerland Betting Picks
The Swiss are an experienced team with a brilliant coach. Vladimir Petkovic seems to know how to prepare his boys for important games.
They should be able to do something in this match. Perhaps they’re not going to make it into the quarterfinals, but they surely aren’t going to get embarrassed tonight.
Pick: Switzerland +1.00 Asian Handicap
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