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Could Switzerland be Euro 2024 dark horses?
With the European Championship approaching the knockout stages, we look at whether Switzerland could be the dark horses for the tournament
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By Wednesday night, the line-up for the European Championship round of 16 will be complete and fans can start working out their team’s possible path to the final.
Pre-tournament hopefuls France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and England all remain in with a chance – but can Switzerland emerge as contenders after remaining unbeaten in the group stage?
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Swiss tick plenty of boxes
Switzerland’s match against Italy in Berlin kicks off the round of 16 at Euro 2024 on Saturday and Murat Yakin’s side have impressed during the group stage of the competition.
A 3-1 win over Hungary in their opening Group B match was followed by a 1-1 draw with Scotland, before the Swiss came within minutes of beating tournament hosts Germany in Frankfurt.
There’s plenty of experience in the Switzerland squad, from goalkeeper Yann Sommer to defenders Manuel Akanji and Fabian Schar, plus midfielder Granit Xhaka.
In attack, Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye have already been among the goals, as has Xerdan Shaqiri, whose sublime strike against Scotland means he has scored at the past six major tournaments.
Hard to beat, pragmatic but with the ability to make and take chances, Switzerland could pose problems for plenty of bigger nations as the tournament progresses.
French test points to Swiss strength
Favourites France will not need reminding of Switzerland’s ability to spring a surprise after they were knocked out of Euro 2020 by them in the last 16.
In that match, played in Bucharest, Switzerland came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 before winning a penalty shoot-out. The Swiss went out in the quarter-finals, losing to Spain on penalties.
The majority of the players who featured for Switzerland against Spain that day are in the squad for the 2024 finals and they will be better for that big-game experience.
They are currently in line to face England in the quarter-finals, should the two teams get there, and that could give them the perfect opportunity to spring another shock.
Italy there for the taking
Facing Italy in the last eight should hold no fears for Switzerland, given how the Azzurri performed in the group stages.
After beating Albania 2-1, Italy were outplayed by Spain and needed a 98th-minute goal against Croatia to salvage a 1-1 draw that gave them second place in Group B.
The countries were in the same qualifying group for the 2022 World Cup, when both meetings were drawn but Switzerland topped the section while Italy failed to make it through the play-offs.
Below, you can see a ladder bet on Switzerland in which we place diminishing stakes on the lines below the even-money one. Our recommended bets are below:
- Switzerland to get to the quarter-final @ 6/5 with bet365 (recommended stake £10)
- Switzerland to get to the SF @ 11/2 with bet365 (recommended stake £5)
- Switzerland to get to the Final @ 16/1 with bet365 (recommended stake £2.50)
- Switzerland to win the tournament @ 50/1 with bet365 (recommended stake £2.50)
Odds are correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
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