England stuttered into the last eight with a 2-1 win over Slovenia on Sunday thanks to a late strike from Jude Bellingham and an extra time goal from Harry Kane and Gareth Southgate’s men will now face Switzerland on Saturday at 5pm in Dusseldorf. The Swiss shocked reigning champions Italy in their first knockout match and will be looking to add another heavyweight name to their CV at Euro 2024.
Despite being pretty inept for most of the tournament, England will line up as the match favourites to win in 90 minutes and they are around the 13/10 mark with some bookmakers, while the surprising Swiss are available at 16/5 to knock out the Three Lions in regulation time, while the draw is 21/10.
England vs Switzerland Tips
Tip #1 – England to win 2-0 @ 9/1
It’s hard to see this being a goal-fest and the 11/8 about it being 0-0 at half-time looks a solid enough bet, but it could be worth taking a chance on England finally finding their form and getting the better of Switzerland and securing a 2-0 win, which is available around the 9/1 mark.
Pitiful for most of the tournament, it was brilliance from Jude Bellingham that earned England extra time against Slovenia, while the talismanic skipper Harry Kane’s winner showed why Southgate’s men still have to be respected, despite being way below their best.
The Swiss cruised past Italy, but the Azzurri are pretty mediocre at the moment and the Swiss showed when only being able to grab a 1-1 with Scotland that they aren’t a team that should be challenging for major honours at the end of the tournament. If England can get their noses in front then it’s likely the Swiss will have to try and step outside of their comfort zone and it could allow the Three Lions to grab that crucial second goal and we know that they will then sit back and are capable of soaking up the pressure against a side lacking a star.
Tip #2 – John Stones to score first @ 40/1
Four goals from their four matches so far in the tournament, England have been pretty poor in front of goal, so when looking for a first goalscorer in their clash with the Swiss then it could be worth looking for some value.
With Switzerland likely to defend with plenty behind the ball throughout the match, knowing England have struggled to break down defences, then it could be worth looking on England scoring first from a set-piece. With that in mind, take a chance on Manchester City’s centre back John Stones scoring the first goal at 40/1.
A constant threat in the air, Stones is sure to be target for many set-pieces, so if his teammate Phil Foden can find the right ball then Stones could well hit the back of the net first and looks a cracking bet. He’s also 20/1 to score anytime, if you’d rather the safety net of that.
England Performances So Far
It’s been a tough watch for England fans so far in Euro 2024, as a pretty lacklustre 1-0 win over Serbia was followed by a drab 1-1 draw with Denmark. Quickly followed up by another goalless draw with Slovenia, England somehow qualified top of the group, but a lot more was expected in the knockout stages.
More may have been expected, but little emerged from Southgate’s side, who arguably produced their worst performance of the campaign, and having gone 1-0 down to Slovakia they had to wait for a sumptuous Bellingham overhead kick to bring parity before Kane grabbed the winner in extra time. Southgate has the tools at his disposal to win Euro 2024, but whether he has ability to use their tools effectively is the million dollar question?
England Euro 2024 Results So Far
Sunday 16th June – Serbia 0-1 England
Thursday 20th June – Denmark 1-1 England
Tuesday 25th June – England 0-0 Slovenia
Sunday 30th June – England 2-1 Slovakia AET
Switzerland Performances So Far
An impressive 3-1 win over Hungary in their first match of the tournament in Group A, Switzerland flew out of the traps, but to be frank, the Hungarians were pretty mediocre. A disappointing 1-1 draw with Scotland followed which showed the Swiss aren’t world beaters, while they got a point against a misfiring German side, who had already qualified, as the pair drew 1-1.
Now recapturing their best form in their last-16 tie with Italy, Switzerland were dominant 2-0 winners of the Azzurri, who bowed out of the tournament meekly. A bit hot and cold at this tournament, they know their best could well knock England out, should they fail to perform again, but the Swiss have to turn up to stand a chance.
Switzerland Euro 2024 Results So Far
Saturday 15th June – Hungary 1-3 Switzerland
Wednesday 19th June – Scotland 1-1 Switzerland
Sunday 23rd June – Switzerland 1-1 Germany
Saturday 29th June – Switzerland 2-0 Italy
