Italy vs Switzerland: Azzurri look to book spot in knockout rounds
Italy will be looking to book their spot in the Euro 2020 round of 16 as they take on Switzerland for matchday two on Wednesday. The Azzurri come into this match brimming with confidence after a resounding and well-earned 3-0 win over Turkey to kick off proceedings. By contrast, Switzerland failed to hang on to a narrow 1-0 advantage against Wales, resulting in a draw between the two sides. La Nati now will need to do better here, albeit that will be much easier said than done. Italy will again be playing on home turf, with the match set at the Stadio Olimpico and will have the full support of Azzurri fans behind them as Roberto Mancini’s men look to secure a round of 16 berth.
Italy’s resounding win over Turkey will do wonders for their confidence, as Switzerland will likely be one of the more trickier opponents they’ll be facing. Although the Azzurri come into this game on a nine game winning streak, the teams they’ve played during that run weren’t exactly world-beaters by any stretch of the imagination. Italy also managed to keep a clean sheet in all of those games, but that could come under threat on Wednesday. If they can win ten on the spin, it will mark the second time the Azzurri have achieved this; the first was during Euro 2020 qualifiers, when they won all ten of their matches.
In fact, Italy haven’t lost since September 2018, a testament to how they’ve improved remarkably under Mancini’s tenure since missing out on the 2018 World Cup. A win here would also ease quite a bit of pressure on them as six points will be more than enough to earn a spot in the round of 16. Furthermore, their opponent in Group C should be fairly reasonable, as they’ll face the runners-up from that quartet; very likely, it won’t be the Netherlands, who are expected to top their group.
Mancini does have to deal with a few absentees, with PSG midfielder Marco Verratti still not fully fit, and Verratti’s PSG colleague, Alessandro Florenzi is now struggling with a calf injury. Florenzi had to be subbed off during the win over Turkey and could also end up missing out here.
Notably, the win over Turkey saw goals from Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne – two players who have been accused of performing well for their clubs but firing blanks when it comes to Italy. One area some have noted is Italy’s lack of proven goalscorers at national tournaments. Will this be the event in which Immobile and Insigne finally silence any doubters and help Italy announce themselves on the big stage after years of disappointment?
As for Switzerland, Vladimir Pektovic’s side will certainly face an uphill battle. Although La Nati have lost just one of their last 15 matches in this competition, they’ve struggled to progress. At Euro 2016, they were eliminated in the round of 16 by hosts France, and prior to that, were dumped out of the group stages in the past three editions.
Certainly, while they do boast the tools to potentially cause Italy some problems, Italy’s record against Switzerland, especially on Italian soil, is formidable. The Azzurri have lost just one of their last 24 meetings with their neighbors on home turf, with 18 wins and five draws during that time frame. Overall, Switzerland have failed to win their last eight games against Italy (four draws, four losses); in fact, their last win was 28 years ago when current Italy boss Roberto Mancini was still playing for the national team. That’s not something that will be lost on Mancini ahead of Wednesday’s clash as the Azzurri look to become the first side to book a round of 16 berth and await who their next opponents will be.
