Swiss national team: The match against Italy in the live ticker

So, now we finally know who is playing tonight!

Colleague Raz reports something very exciting from Berlin:

«Switzerland needs a replacement at right back today for the yellow-carded Widmer. And Yakin has another surprise up his sleeve. Apparently Ndoye is to take over Widmer’s role. Rieder is to play on the right wing in front of Ndoye, as he did against Germany.

Immediately after the Germany game, Yakin named Stergiou as a logical replacement for Widmer. The day before the round of 16 match against Italy, he said: “Perhaps that was a good option straight after the game.” So now he has decided against the VfB Stuttgart defender and in favor of the man who has sowed fear in the opposing defense lines with his speed.”

There are still around 80 minutes until kick-off. The Swiss players have arrived at the Olympic Stadium and are strolling across the pitch. In the next few minutes they will head to the dressing room to prepare for the match.

It has to be said again here. Exactly two teams managed to qualify for the round of 16 in each of the last six tournaments (World Cup 2014 – European Championship 2024). Firstly, there is France. And then there is Switzerland. Nobody else. Neither Italy, nor Spain, nor Germany, nor the Netherlands, nor Croatia or Portugal managed to do that. Crazy!

And here are some statistics that show that these successes are also noticed. Granit Xhaka has been named “Man of the Match” five times at the European Championships. Since 1996, only Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta have received more such awards. And if you look at the list of the top 10, you will notice that only Federico Chiesa, in seventh place, has played fewer European Championship games.

It is of course exciting that both Xhaka and Chiesa can add to their lead today. We won’t reveal who we are hoping for.

If you don’t understand all this nonsense and are more of a numbers person, we have listed here which players in the readers’ lineups received the most votes.

You were allowed to play a bit of Yakin before this match. And it shows once again: you are big Akanji and Xhaka fans! Once again, the two players are the ones with the most votes. 2169 people voted in total, 2121 of whom wanted Akanji in the starting lineup. And 1995 voted for Xhaka. Incidentally, once again you are not there: Xherdan Shaqiri.

Don’t let this graphic confuse you, of course Ndoye is moving into the front row with Embolo and Duah. And we think: That’s exactly what it could look like tonight. Or Yakin has another crazy surprise in store, Zuber in central defense for example, who knows…

The fan march has now reached Charlottenburg station. From there, they will take the subway to the Olympic Stadium. Colleague Brasser reports that the mood is very good and that there are no organizational problems: “There is relatively little waiting time to get to the stadium.” Other match-goers have had a different experience. as this text shows.

Colleague Loris Brasser reports from Berlin that the fan march is in full swing. Here are a few impressions of the peaceful event.

To ensure that you get through the game safely tonight, we recommend the tips of cardiologist Franz H. Messerli. If things get really bad, you should think about the last resort: “Every television has a switch-off button. This could be used in high-risk situations.”

To the other tips read here.

Just this much: Yann Sommer seems shocked that he is said to be in high demand.

However, the pride stems more from past achievements than from the performances at this European Championship in Germany. The Italians have not been convincing so far. They have played in such a way that the Italian media are demanding new players in the starting line-up. Or even a new game system.

Incidentally, the Italian media have persuaded Ciriaco Sforza, among others, to do an interview. Read herehow he says that Switzerland is like a wave that could overwhelm Italy. Or how he hopes to be coach at Inter Milan one day.

… and buongiorno, dear readers. It’s great that you are with us for this football day that promises great things and will hopefully keep all of them.

Switzerland will play its round of 16 match against Italy in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium – against the nation that won the World Cup in this very stadium 18 years ago. There are no players from back then left. But the self-image of this proud football nation will also travel with the current generation of players through this European Championship.