Switzerland vs Germany preview, team news, tickets & prediction

Switzerland takes on their neighbor, Germany, for a right to progress to the Last 16 of the European Championship in the last game of Group A.

The 18th-best side in world football takes on the tournament hosts and a side only two places above them on Matchday 3 of Euro 2024.

Switzerland have won two of their five previous meetings with Germany, but their most recent encounters in the 2020 UEFA Nations League ended in a draw. Hence, there is no better time for Germany to grab their first win against the Swiss than in a home tournament.

The Red Cross began their qualifying campaign with big wins over Belarus and Israel, scoring eight unreplied goals. After a 2-1 win against Andorra in June, three draws followed over the next four matches as they lost their footing atop Group I.

Late equalizers in back-to-back games against Israel and Kosovo exposed the chinks in their armor. Still, they had nevertheless secured qualification and only needed to decide the group winners when meeting Romania in the last game of the series.

Daniel Alibec’s goal early in the second half sealed the A-Team’s fate as they settled for the runner-up spot.

Murat Yakin’s side will have faced Hungary and Scotland before the game against Germany; it is pertinent that they gather results and momentum before that final group game to stand a chance of reaching the knockouts.

The Swiss made it to the Round of 16 at Euro 2016 before going one step further with a record-best quarter-final finish at Euro 2020 after eliminating world champions France. They are battle-hardened and will also be desperate to impress after an embarrassing 6-1 defeat to Portugal in the Last 16 of the 2022 World Cup.

Indeed, an out-of-sorts German side is not at its vintage best, having underwhelmed in the last three major tournaments. Could this game mark the end of another disastrous campaign?

Die Mannschaft are three-time European champions who deserve respect at all times. Still, that pedigree has evaporated in recent years as they undergo a rebuild with the playing and coaching staff.

The aftermath of their shock group stage exit in Qatar was not helped by a lack of competitive action, having secured their automatic Euro 2024 spot as hosts.

Their first game of the calendar year ended in a 2-0 win over Peru thanks to Niclas Fullkrug’s brace, but a 3-2 defeat to Belgium started a run of five straight winless matches that culminated in a 4-1 loss to Japan.

Hansi Flick was sacked a day after that defeat as Rudi Völler led them to a 2–1 victory over France in interim charge.

Julian Nagelsmann was subsequently named the new head coach on a short-term contract until the conclusion of Euro 2024. The 36-year-old led them to a 3-1 win against the USA and a 2-2 draw with Mexico, but more defeats to Turkey and Austria have since followed.

Germany has it all to do to rise to the challenge as tournament hosts, and stopping their run of poor form will take a resilient effort from all involved. West Germany finished with the bronze medal the last time a European Championship was hosted exclusively on home soil. They will be desperate for anything close to that achievement in 2024.

The DFB team must be at its best against Scotland and Hungary before facing the Swiss for a possible knockout spot. Although they are group favorites on paper, making this a successful first round will take much more.

Match tickets

This match will take place on Sunday, 23 June 2024, with kick-off scheduled for 7 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the UEFA website, and a meticulous process is used to allocate them to registered supporters.

It is likely to be a decisive group fixture, so the fans of both sides will be fired up for this one at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. Both teams are familiar, as most Swiss players are current or previous Bundesliga stars.

It is important to note that getting match tickets via official sources could prove difficult, given it will be a sold-out match. Hence, supporters may have to source for their Switzerland vs Germany tickets on a ticket resale site.

Team news

Noah Okafor, Cedric Itten, and Fabian Schar are current injury casualties for Switzerland, but each should be ready for the tournament. Meanwhile, Breel Embolo is doubtful after suffering an ACL injury at the start of the season, so he is in a race against time to be fit enough to earn a call-up.

Among the Germans, Marc-André ter Stegen, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Lukas Nmecha, and Christian Gunter are all carrying injuries. Julian Nagelsmann will be desperate to avoid an injury crisis in a major tournament.

Line-ups

Switzerland has the quality pedigree and experience to shock a few observers at the Euros. Full of flair, goals, and a solid spine, the A-Team can more than hurt Germany.

Their pacy but dynamic frontline packs a serious punch, and they will have several options off the bench to create chaos and swing the balance of games.

Switzerland: Sommer; Fernandes, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodríguez; Freuler, Xhaka, Zakaria; Shaqiri, Okafor, Vargas

Germany has several issues, but it can surely field a strong lineup nevertheless. Many key players will be keen to change their fortunes while they can call upon a beautiful pool of talent in the attacking ranks supporting first-choice striker Niclas Fullkrug.

We could finally see the young duo of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala combining in their frontline.

Germany: Neuer; Tah, Hummels, Rüdiger, Gosens; Gündoğan, Kimmich; Wirtz, Musiala, Sané; Füllkrug

Prediction

Germany is experiencing some of their darkest times in recent history, but the impact of the home support and their pride cannot be underestimated. They can click into gear and live up to their potential at this tournament.

Should that be the case, they will be in contention for the top spot in the group but must deal with the brave Swiss to close out the first round. This could go either way or no way at all.

Switzerland 2-2 Germany