«The players have turned the page. Now the sky is the limit,” describes coach and analyst Cesare Prandelli to define the situation of the transalpines on the eve of a duel against Switzerland with unfinished business. In the last edition, the team led by Roberto Mancini dispatched the Swiss 3-0 on the second day of group A and presented its firm candidacy to obtain the title, achieved in fact in the Wembley final against England on penalties.
But the ‘Schweizer Nati’ (Swiss national team) also brings back bad memories for the ‘azzurri’, who failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar after two draws in direct duels. Jorginho, in particular, missed a penalty in each of the two games, played in Basel and Rome. Italy was relegated to the play-offs, where they surprisingly lost to North Macedonia and were left out of the second consecutive World Cup. A drama in a country with so much tradition and titles.
There was even sarcasm on the part of the Swiss, who remember an anecdote. In a later match, a banner appeared in the stadium showing the logo of the famous Google search engine and the phrase “Italy World Cup Qatar 2022”, but just below it appeared the legend “did you mean: Switzerland » (you meant Switzerland).
The Italians, who will be without their suspended centre-back Calafiori for this match, have Bastoni suffering from a cold and Dimarco limping, are proud and want to get even. It is almost a derby, as the statistics show no less than 61 clashes between these neighbours, with a notable historical advantage for Italy after 29 wins, 24 draws, 8 losses, 111 goals scored and 68 conceded.
A great challenge
The multi-ethnic team now managed by Murat Yakin, a Swiss of Turkish origin and brother of another great like Hakan Yakin, has been competitive for years, with many of its players spread across the Bundesliga and Serie A. “The Italians are dangerous because they can play in different ways and are unpredictable, but we are looking at ourselves. This match represents a great challenge. The challenge is to limit the opponent’s strengths and exploit their weaknesses,” says the coach of the central European team, who is asked to repeat the quarter-finals reached in the last tournament, the best historical result for Switzerland in the European Championships.
So far, Switzerland has offered better sensations than Italy. They progressed comfortably through Group A, remained unbeaten and even came close to finishing above Germany, but a Niclas Füllkrug goal in stoppage time for the hosts left them second. It is an experienced and well-organized block that does not allow itself to be intimidated by anyone. “The first step has already been taken,” says Captain Granit Xhaka. «We are looking forward to the next round and our next opponent. I hope that now everyone has a little more respect for Switzerland,” he adds defiantly.
In Italy, scorer of only three goals in three games, they demand more from forwards Scamacca and Retegui, who have not yet made their debut. Everything indicates that the talented Federico Chiesa, who has been harmed by injuries, will start instead of the Argentine-Italian striker from Genoa.
Probable lineups
Switzerland: Sommer, Schär, Akanji, Rodriguez, Stergiou, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer, Ndoye, Embolo and Vargas.
Italy: Donnarumma, Darmian, Mancini, Bastoni, Di Lorenzo, Barella, Jorginho, Cristante, Dimarco, Scamacca and Chiesa.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
Time: 18:00 h (TVE).
Berlin Olympic Stadium.
Ignacio Tylko
