Football – Euro 2016 Qualifiers – Group E
Monday 8th September 2014 – Kickoff: 1945hrs
Switzerland and England open their respective Group E campaigns for Euro 2016 qualification in France when they meet in tonight’s clash at St.Jakob-Park on the back of two very different World Cup performances for both teams.
A look at Switzerland first – and they safely navigated their way out of their recent World Cup Group E containing France, Honduras and Ecuador and came runners-up to France with wins over Ecuador 2-1 and Honduras 3-0. Despite losing to France 2-5, they still showed they were capable of scoring goals and could provide elements of danger to the better teams.
This was shown in their last 16 knock-out match against Argentina where they held the eventual World Cup finalists to a 0-0 draw in normal time against a side containing the likes of Messi, Di Maria and Higuain. The Swiss eventually lost 0-1 in extra time, but they have enough in their squad to suggest they stand a very good chance of taking at least a point against England here tonight, let alone all three.
Personnel including the likes of midfielders Behrami, Inler, Shaqiri and Xhaka along with a forward line likely to contain Drmic and Mehmedi are sure to pose the England defence some serious questions.
Onto England, and with typical negativity that has been the trademark of the Roy Hodgson era, newly appointed skipper Wayne Rooney has stated it’s vital for England not to lose their opening match at Switzerland tonight, and thus hand them the initiative in what is a weak group where both of tonight’s teams are expected to qualify with ease.
The halcyon days of England expecting to beat teams like Switzerland (even away from home) are now long gone and reading between the lines, the new-look Hodgson England team will be very happy with a point here. Hodgson’s tactic of playing Rooney wide on the left as per their recent dour 1-0 friendly win over Norway is looking likely to rear it’s head again – and thus deprives England of any glimmer of attacking threat they may have had.
Striker Daniel Sturridge has been ruled out with a thigh problem, along with goalkeeper Ben Foster and uncapped Jack Colback and there’s nothing in the squad to suggest an up-turn in form from England’s disastrous World Cup campaign where they failed to win a single match – indeed, they looked delighted to keep a clean sheet against Costa Rica, the only point England gained during the group phase.
With Sturridge ruled out and Rooney likely to be playing a wide role on the left, England’s dwindling attacking hopes look to be pinned upon the shoulders of Danny Welbeck – it’s a poor state of affairs indeed, despite Rooney heralding the in-coming new guard as ‘exciting times’.
In short, Switzerland carry a lot more attacking threat and I suspect they’ll push forward with more purpose and conviction than their visitors tonight who managed just two shots on goal throughout the whole 90 minutes against Norway – a fact that Hodgson seemed annoyed about when asked by a journalist in the post-match interviews. Enough said. Switzerland to nick this perhaps 1-0, but back the hosts with the round ball.
Pick: Switzerland AH0 @ 1.83 Pinnacle
