Switzerland vs Spain live on July 2, 2021: Can Nati repeat David vs Goliath story in La Furia Roja tie?

К сожалению, единственный доступный язык для этой страницы – английский.

июля 1, 2021 подготовил(-а) Ali M.

Темы: TV Schedules, Switzerland, Spain, UEFA Euro 2020

The Euro 2020 quarter-finals kick off with Switzerland's clash with La Furia Roja as Nati aim to take down another continental giant.

Preview

Spain are gearing up the quarter-finals of the action-packed Euro 2020 tournament, with the continental heavyweights set to take on the competition's giant slayers, aka Switzerland. These two nations will lock horns in the first of two last-eight showdowns on Friday, kicking off their battle at 12 p.m. ET at the Saint-Petersburg Stadium in what should be an exciting encounter.

Switzerland's heroics from the round of 16 remain fresh in the memory of every football fan following the European Championship. After a respectable group-stage performance in which they finished in third, collecting four points courtesy of a win over Turkey and a draw with Wales, Nati were paired against France in the the knockout stage.

Given that Les Bleus were the favorites for the title, not many expected Xhaka and Co. to get past the FIFA World Cup holders, but that's just what they did, beating Deschamps' men on penalties in an amazing and unforgettable comeback. Vladimir Petkovic's side did take an early lead, breaking the deadlock after only 15 minutes thanks to an excellent Haris Seferović header. However, a brace from Karim Benzema and a worldie from Paul Pogba meant France entered the final 10 minutes of the game with a 3-1 lead.

Seferović pulled one back, scoring his second of the game in the 81st minute before Granit Xhaka, who was named Man of the Match, set up Gavranović for the dramatic 90th-minute equalizer. As a result, the game went into extra time and while both sides had opportunities to win the match in the additional 30 minutes, a penalty shootout was needed to separate both sides. Kylian Mbappe missed France's fifth and final attempt, sparking jubilation among the Swiss players as they confirmed their victory over the European giants.

Can they pull off another unexpected win over a superior team? La Furia Roja have endured a few bumps along the road and were in risk of crashing out in the group stage had it not been for their 5-0 thrashing of Slovakia in round three. Back-to-back draws against Sweden and Poland showed that while Luis Enrique's side are a well-structured team, they struggle to score frequently.

However, Spain flipped that notion on its head in the round of 16, scoring a whopping five times against Croatia while conceding three goals, two of which came in the 85th minute onward to send the game into extra time. Alvaro Morata, who has been heavily criticized throughout the tournament due to a few poor misses, got on the scoresheet and will be keen on silencing his critics by guiding his nation into the semi-finals. It's just a matter of whether they can beat Switzerland or not.

Team news

Switzerland: Granit Xhaka was at the heart of his nation's unforgettable victory over France, but his second-half yellow card means the captain is unfortunately suspended for the quarter-finals. Denis Zakaria could deputize in his absence. Gavranovic played a super-sub role, coming off the bench to score the equalizer, but it remains unlikely that he will start, with Seferovic and Embolo set to spearhead the attack once more.

Spain: Not many changes are expected from Luis Enrique. Ferran Torres and Pablo Sarabia look set to keep their spots in the lineup while Alvaro Morata remains the manager's preferred choice in attack despite all the criticism.

Key stats

Spain are undefeated in their last 14 matches in this competition.
This will be the 23rd encounter between these two nations.
La Furia Roja boast the superior head-to-head record, having lost only once against Switzerland while winning 16 run-ins (D5).
However, the last time these two sides met was last year and they played out a 1-1 draw, a result which would earn Shaqiri and Co. another shot at a penalty shootout victory.