Switzerland is still buzzing after the national team scored one of the country’s greatest triumphs in a major football tournament. The Swiss stunned France in the Round of 16 on Monday, and Switzerland will now make its first ever appearance in the quarterfinals of the European Championship. Unfortunately for Switzerland, things will not get any easier as they will take on Spain this Friday. The winner of this match will face the winner of Friday’s other quarterfinal between Italy and Belgium for a spot in the finals of EURO 2020.
Don't miss a second of EURO 2020. This match will be held at Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, July 2, 2021. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.
UEFA EURO 2020 Odds at BookMaker.eu
Switzerland +450
Spain -145
Draw +284
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Both Switzerland and Spain won absolute thrillers on Monday. La Roja seemed set to advance after second half goals from Cesar Azpilicueta and Ferran Torres put Spain ahead of Croatia 3-1 late in the match. However, Croatia responded with goals in the 85th and 92nd minutes to send the match to extra time. Alvaro Morata put Spain back on top with a lovely piece of skill in the 100th minute, and Mikel Oyarzabal’s goal three minutes later clinched it for the 2008 and 2012 Euro winners.
Haris Seferovic played the game of his life for Switzerland against reigning World Cup champions France. He put the Swiss ahead 1-0 in the 15th minute, and he spurred the comeback after they fell behind 3-1. Seferovic scored in the 81st minute to pull the underdogs within one, and Mario Gavranovic leveled the match in the 90th. Switzerland converted all their penalties, while Yann Sommer stopped the last shot to put the Swiss through to the quarterfinals.
The Swiss will be at a disadvantage when they take on Spain. They won’t have captain Granit Xhaka available for this match after he picked up a yellow card in his second straight match in the win over France. Xhaka will now serve a one-game suspension, so Switzerland will miss his passing prowess and aggressiveness in the midfield.
Xherdan Shaqiri and Seferovic will have to play very well for Switzerland to score another upset. Shaqiri and Seferovic are this team’s two most talented players and biggest scoring threats with Xhaka out.
As for Spain, this team looks like a true threat under Luis Enrique. This is their best performance at an international tournament since La Roja won the 2008 Euros, the 2010 World Cup, and the 2012 Euros.
Spain became the first team in Euros’ history to score five goals in back-to-back matches with their 5-3 victory over Croatia. They dismantled Slovakia 5-0 in their last Group Stage match, and those totals have been impressive since this team doesn’t have a superb No. 9. Morata and Torres are both quality players that can create moments of brilliance though.
Matchup to Watch
It won’t be easy for the Swiss to have a lot of success against Spain on the attack. Spain has a competent midfield and a world class center back in Aymeric Laporte, but La Roja aren’t as impenetrable as they were in the past. The outside backs aren’t great, and we saw Unai Simon give up a howler of an own goal. That gives Switzerland some hope if they can put the right amount of pressure on Spain.
Free EURO 2020 Betting Pick
This match will be close throughout, but Spain will pull ahead near the end. They will have much more possession, and that will be the deciding factor.
EURO 2020 Odds: Spain 2, Switzerland 1
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