France begins their assault in the knockout stages of Euro 2020 on Monday facing Switzerland at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest. The winners of this tie face one of Croatia or Spain in the quarter-final of the competition.
France escaped 'the group of death' as table toppers that helped them land a significantly easier opposition to deal with, at least on paper. Didier Deschamps man remains one of the favorites despite winning only one game. High scoring draws to Hungary and Portugal followed after that win coming against Germany. Les Bleus faced the criticism of being complacent in some of their attitudes although they mend games with quality. Paul Pogba has been the star man running the midfield while the front three worked hard both on and off the ball. Deschamps is wishing for the trio to find the back of the net more regularly.
Switzerland's road to the last 16 has been fairly decent. Keeping aside the Italy result, the Swiss army picked up a remarkable 3-1 victory over Turkey on the final day to make it up to this stage being one of the best third-placed side in the competition. They were also unlucky to come with just a point from the Wales game on an opening day. Even though they have scored a lot of goals their issue have been not keeping clean sheets. Nevertheless, the three-man backline switch gave Petkovic's men a little bit more flexibility upfront. Switzerland being the David wants to slew the Goliath now.
France vs Switzerland Match Details :
When: Monday, June 28/ Tuesday, June 29
Timings: 00:30 (IST)/ 21:30 (CET)
Where: Arena National, Bucharest, Romania
Recent Form (Euro 2020)
France: WDD
Switzerland: DLW
FRA vs SWT Dream11 Team News :
Injuries & Suspensions
The 2018 World Cup winners are picking up injuries at the decisive stage of the competition. Ousmane Dembele came on as a substitute against Hungary in France's second game but was subbed off later after picked up a knee injury requiring an operation. He is ruled out of the tournament. The trend continued in the last group stage clash with Portugal in which Lucas Digne came on to replace Hernandez and subsequently was subbed off due to a muscle problem. Digne isn't ruled out completely from the tournament yet. But he won't be named in the squad for this round of 16 matchups. Marcus Thuram and Thomas Lemar are also carrying minor injuries.
On the other hand, Switzerland have a fully fit squad for manager Vladimir Petkovic to select from. The Swiss are expected to stick to their three-man backline as in the case against Turkey meaning Silvan Widmer starts ahead of Kevin Mbabu and Stevan Zuber plays in the unorthodox wing-back role. Ricardo Rodriguez will get shifted to center-back position again along with Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi.
France vs Switzerland Predicted Lineups :
France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe, Lucas Hernandez, N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Corentin Tolisso, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema
Switzerland: Yann Sommer; Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, Silvan Widmer, Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, Steven Zuber, Xherdan Shaqiri, Breel Embolo, Haris Seferovic
France vs Switzerland Head to Head :
Switzerland have a distorted record against France. The nation from the Balkan region haven't tasted victory over Les Bleus since 1992 in an international friendly. This is also their second-ever meeting against France in a major competition, the first coming in the last Euros ending in a 0-0 stalemate.
FRA vs SWT Dream11 Fantasy Team
GK: Hugo Lloris (Fra)
DEF: Raphael Varane (Fra), Manuel Akanji (Swt), Ricardo Rodriguez (Swt)
MID: Xherdan Shaqiri (Swt), Paul Pogba (Fra), N'Golo Kante (Fra), Remo Freuler (Swt), Steven Zuber (Swt)
FW: Karim Benzema (Fra), Antoine Griezmann (Fra)
Raphael Varane is still a commanding figure in the backline guided by the versatile Ricardo Rodriguez settling into the center back position comfortably. Xherdan Shaqiri has been the man of the tournament becoming the first to score in four consecutive major tournaments for Switzerland. His brace against Turkey was a treat to watch. Steven Zuber provided a hat-trick of assist in a stunning display against the same opposition and is working out something similar from his newfound wingback role. Paul Pogba's destructive through balls hhavebeen the talk of the tournament. Karim Benzema finally found the back of the net on his return to the national side and he along with the extraordinary work rate from Griezmann makes an excellent forward line for the team.
Match Prediction: France 2-0 Switzerland
Vladimir Petkovic's ill faith in not moving past the Round of 16 stages of the competition will haunt them again. Switzerland sustains an admirable attack but they conceded goals even if not in plenty. A thing they can't overcome against the world champions. Whatever state the 2016 Euro finalist may be in, very few teams can possess the same strength, quality and depth of talent as them. This factor makes France dangerous and formidable. Hence, they are advancing to the quarterfinals comfortably.
To check regular updates stay tuned to Euro 2020
