Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Nations League clash between Switzerland and Denmark, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Both Switzerland and Denmark will be aiming to bounce back from defeats in Group 4 of League A when they lock horns in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday night.
Switzerland, who are bottom of the section, were on the end of a 2-0 defeat to Serbia on Saturday, while second-placed Denmark conceded late to suffer a 1-0 loss to European champions Spain.
Match preview
© Imago
Switzerland impressed at Euro 2024, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition, but they were beaten on penalties by England, missing out on the chance to make it to the final four for the first time in their history.
Murat Yakin‘s side have struggled for results and performances since the summer competition, losing all three of their matches to Denmark, Spain and Serbia, conceding eight times in the process.
Switzerland went down 2-0 to Serbia on Saturday, with the result leaving them bottom of Group 4 of League A, four points behind third-placed Serbia and seven from Spain at the summit.
A-Team also competed in League A of the 2022-23 competition, finishing third in their section, but they are facing the possibility of being relegated to League B for the next Nations League.
Switzerland will be bidding to avoid a fifth straight defeat on Tuesday, before finishing their group-stage campaign with clashes against Serbia and Spain in November.
© Imago
Denmark, meanwhile, were close to securing a point against Spain on Saturday evening, but Martin Zubimendi‘s volley in the 79th minute of the contest secured the victory for Luis de la Fuente‘s side.
The Red and Whites opened their 2024-25 Nations League campaign with successive wins over Switzerland and Serbia, so despite the disappointment of the loss to Spain, they are second in Group 4 on six points, one point off the top.
Morten Wieghorst is in charge on a caretaker basis, with Kasper Hjulmand standing down as head coach following Euro 2024, with Denmark being eliminated in the round of 16.
The Danes played in Group 1 of League A in the last Nations League, finishing second in their section behind Croatia, picking up 12 points from their six matches during a strong campaign.
Denmark are actually unbeaten in their last seven games against Switzerland dating back to October 1984, and they recorded a 2-0 victory when the two teams locked horns in the reverse match last month.
Switzerland Nations League form:
Switzerland form (all competitions):
Denmark Nations League form:
Denmark form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago
Switzerland have not reported any injury concerns from their clash with Serbia, and head coach Yakin is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack on Tuesday night.
Breel Embolo has scored 15 times for his country and is once again expected to lead the line, while there should be another start for Dan Ndoye, who had an eye-catching European Championship.
Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler are set to feature in the middle of the park, while there will again be a spot in the middle of the defence for Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji.
As for Denmark, caretaker manager Wieghorst is set to make changes to the side that started against Spain, with Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund expected to lead the line on Tuesday night.
Hojlund is still working his way back to full fitness after missing the start of the season with a muscular problem, but it is likely that he will be introduced into the XI for this match.
There could be a further change in the final third of the field against Switzerland, with the experienced Yussuf Poulsen, who has scored 14 times for his country, potentially coming in for Albert Gronbaek.
Switzerland possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez, Aebischer; Amdouni, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Embolo
Denmark possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Kristensen, Vestergaard, Nelsson; Bah, Hjulmand, Hojbjerg, Kristiansen; Eriksen, Hojlund, Poulsen
We say: Switzerland 1-1 Denmark
Four of the last seven meetings between these two sides have finished level, and we can see another stalemate on Tuesday night. Both will fancy their chances of triumphing in this contest, but we are expecting a tight game to finish all square.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.