Switzerland go into this game needing a win, after one draw and one loss in their previous two games. A point could also be enough for them to qualify as either second place or the best third placed team depending on results elsewhere.
After two poor games in this tournament, Turkey will be hoping to get a win to give them a slim chance of possibly finishing in third place and progressing as one of the four best third placed teams, again depending on goal difference in this group and others.
- Head to head:
In their last five previous meetings Switzerland W2, L3 scoring eight and conceding nine goals.
- Odds:
Switzerland are 1/65 to win the game and Turkey are 5/25 to win the game.
- Previous defensive record:
Switzerland fell to a 3-0 loss to Italy in their previous game whereas Turkey fell to a 2-0 loss to Wales and both teams will be looking to keep a clean sheet but also get on the scoresheet.
- Players to watch:
Switzerland’s Breel Embolo has scored the opener in five of his last six goalscoring games for club and country. Turkey’s oldest player at a major tournament, Burak Yilmaz, has five goals, four yellow cards and one red across his previous seven international appearances but will be hoping to get on the scoresheet at least once if this is going to be his sides last appearance at this tournament.
- Team News:
Yann Sommer (Switzerland) will be absent for personal reasons.
Misses next match if booked and they progress: Embolo, Gavranović, Mbabu, Schär (Switzerland)
Misses next match if booked: Çalhanoğlu, Dervişoğlu, Söyüncü, Yılmaz (Turkey)
- Predicted Line-ups:
Switzerland possible line-up: Sommer; Elvedi, Schär, Akanji; Mbabu, Freuler, Xhaka, Rodríguez; Shaqiri; Embolo, Gavranović
Turkey possible line-up: Uğurcan Çakır; Zeki Çelik, Demiral, Söyüncü, Mert Müldür; Kaan Ayhan, Ozan Tufan, Çalhanoğlu, Ünder, Yazıcı; Yılmaz
Team view:
Vladimir Petković, Switzerland coach: “I spoke to the team and told them there’s a match left, and three points could get us to the next round.”
Steven Zuber, Switzerland midfielder: “Everyone in the team is disappointed [after the 3-0 defeat against Italy], and not just the team: the whole nation is disappointed. It’s fine to be disappointed, it happens in sport. We know what the feeling is like to be on the other side, and that’s our aim: to be on the other side on Sunday. We need to score one goal more than [Turkey]. That would be good.”
Şenol Güneş, Turkey coach: “This is a young team. They haven’t experienced a tournament like this before. I know expectations were high, but this team created those expectations with their good performances.”
Last six form guide:
Switzerland: LDWWWW
Turkey: LLWDWD
Switzerland will be aiming to get their first win in this tournament because a loss will see them eliminated at the group stage for a fourth time in five European Championship appearances. They need to get back on track and rediscover their form prior to the Italy loss where they went seven games unbeaten (W5, D2.)
Turkey also face elimination if they lose here. They need a win to land a third-placed finish which could still lead to progression into the knockout phase. They also need to rediscover their form on the way to these finals where they had a defence that conceded a joint-best three goals across qualifying. As they’ve already conceded two more than that in their opening two games it is clear as to why they are struggling.
Şenol Güneş’side will look to avoid a third straight defeat for the first time since November 2010 where they will be trying not to repeat their goalless run first seen at Euro 1996. Turkey will also be hoping to find their best form in time to progress and show everyone why they got here in the first place.
As both teams ideally need a win it could be one of the most exciting, unpredictable, and free scoring matches of the tournament so far, as anything less than a win could pretty much spell the end for one if not both teams.
So really it is a case of win or bust.
