Wales and Switzerland will clash on Saturday, June 12, at the Olympic Stadium in Baku in their EURO 2020 opener. The two have last met in 2011, when Wales won 2-0, marking their first head-to-head win in history. The Swiss won the previous three with an aggregate score of 8-1, dating back to 1999.
Wales vs Switzerland
When: Saturday, June 12 – 17:00 AST
Where: Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan
Weather: Sunny, 27°C
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
It’s going to be a hot afternoon in Azerbaijan, with the expected temperature somewhere around 27°C. Neither team is probably used to such hot weather – at least not at this time of the year.
Sure, it’s likely to make it more difficult for the Welsh, but they probably won’t let some heat take their focus away from what’s going on in the game.
Wales Hoping the History Can Repeat Itself
The Dragons are hopeful they can achieve something similar to what they did the last time they played at the EUROS when we saw the Wels reach the semis. This time, however, such a scenario seems not so probable, although they have every right to hope to get to the knockout stage.
For that to happen, Ryan Giggs’ side need to do well in all three games, starting with their EURO 2020 opener against the favoured Switzerland.No one expects the Welsh to win this game, but stealing a point would certainly help their efforts.
The trouble is that player quality-wise, they’re not that great this year. Sure, they still got Gareth Bale up in the front, but he’s not the same player he was five years ago.
Ahead of EURO 2016, he scored 19 goals in the Spanish Primera Division as La Liga was called back then. This time, he’s coming off 11 goals in the Premier League.
The story is not that much different from other Wales players, who had much better stats ahead of last EUROs. Nevertheless, these players love big tournaments, so you can expect them to fight back against the mighty Swiss.
All Wins for the Swiss in 2021
The Swiss enter EURO 2020 in great form, having won all of their last six outings. However, three of those were friendlies, while the remaining three were played against not-so-great teams.
In fact, the Red Crosses’ most impressive result happened against Ukraine, who they beat 3-0 last November in the UEFA Nations League.
Nevertheless, the Swiss look confident, which is understandable given their strong form and the talent they field. They’re fantastic at the back, with Borussia Monchengladbach goalie Yann Sommer between the posts.
Right in front of him are a few more names who excelled in the Bundesliga the last season. It’s a similar case when their midfield is concerned.
Benfica’s Haris Seferovic is likely to be the go-to man for the Swiss in the front. He did very well in the Portuguese Primeira last season, where he scored 22 goals in 31 games and ended the season as the league’s second-best scorer.
And if he can’t find the net, his teammates from the center of the pitch will certainly help out. This goes especially for Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri, who has the most goals for Switzerland of all the players in the Euro 2020 squad.
The Swiss have a few solid pieces which make them dangerous in the front – as noted in our EURO 2020 Group A preview, However, they still lack the clinical finishing to pose a serious threat to top teams at the tournament.
Wales vs Switzerland Betting Picks
You could argue that the Swiss are a class above the Welsh, and they seem to love playing these sorts of games. Getting a win this afternoon would be a great way to start off the tournament and it would give them the confidence to do well against Italy in Rome on Matchday 2.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Wales are going to raise a white flag. The Swiss might have looked good, but they haven’t impressed us too much in the back (only three cleans sheets in their last 10), which leads us to believe the Welsh will manage to do some damage in the final third.
Prediction: Over 2.00 Goals – 2.26 at Betfair
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