Both France and Switzerland are expecting fireworks when their soccer teams do battle at Arena Nationala this Monday evening. Both squads have found themselves on the losing side of recent contests, but France is seen as the favorite in this matchup thanks to Barcelona wingers Ousmane Dembele and Lucas Hernandez being injured.
As always, superstar Kylian Mbappe will be the player to watch for France’s Didier Deschamps. In his recent international clash with Portugal, France’s Karim Benzema scored twice which is likely to cause problems for opponents. As Switzerland have had a less than stellar Euro 2020 tournament, it’s hard to know what the chances are of them being able to get a victory at home against Belgium. Regardless, there is still the potential for Vladimir Petkovic to call on every player.
France has a good chance of winning Euro 2020 after qualifying for the knockout stages and finishing atop their ‘group of death’.
France did not have a very well-rounded performance during the pool stages of this event. They will provide increased intensity for rounds that follow, however.
Their opponents are solid but lack class at this level so 23/20 for France to win to nil is our first France vs Switzerland prediction.
France vs Switzerland 2020 Preview
France manager Didier Deschamps finds himself in a difficult position for next week’s Euro 2020 Round of 16 game against Switzerland due to injury.
Even though France qualified for the next round by drawing with Portugal 2-2, they were unable to secure a commanding lead in their final match. They had previously won one of their three Group F games, and drawn two more.
France left back Lucas Hernandez was forced to leave the first half of today’s game, as he suffered a knee injury. He is now considered probable for this morning’s match against Switzerland.
During a press conference, French Manager Didier Deschamps reportedly mentioned that Lucas Digne was also nursing a hamstring injury and may not be fit for Monday’s game against Australia.
Adrien Rabiot, France’s replacement for Benjamin Digne in the match against Portugal, has been nursing a nagging ankle injury ever since the end of the season.
In the days leading up to France’s opening game against Australia in Kazan on Saturday, two of their most influential players suffered injuries.
France are already without Ousmane Dembele after the forward was taken off injured in their second group game against Hungary. Player Demebele has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament and will require surgery to his knee.
Despite their injuries, France remains the favorite team for this game against Switzerland.
Deschamps, having won World Cups as both a player and coach, now faces difficulty with his defender selection. However, he has managed to improve the lineup with the addition of Olivier Giroud.
After a six-year absence from the national team, Karim Benzema scored twice against Portugal.
The French have also never lost to the Swiss in a competitive game. Germany is more accustomed to the latter stages of a tournament, but their opponents have not reached a quarter-final since 1954 when they hosted the World Cup.
France
France have some roster issues to contend with ahead of this big contest as defender Lucas Digne is set to miss out after an injury against Portugal while Marcus Thuram is a major doubt, along with Jules Kounde. There is some good news though, as Lucas Hernandez of France who was also injured in the Portugal clash is expected to be fit and available––according to manager Didier Deschamps.
France’s world champions will set up in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation at the front of Hugo Lloris, goalkeeper and captain. France will be relying on Presnel Kimpembe and Raphael Varane for defense, with Hernandez also expected to start on the left. It’s been reported Benjamin Pavard, who last played in their last game, should start at right-back. The Bayern Munich star is tasked with providing an attacking outlet on the flank.
Protecting the defense and harrying the opposition will be N’Golo Kante’s key role in a diamond-shaped formation at midfield. On one side of him will be the man in form, Paul Pogba, looking to pull the strings from midfield while Adrien Rabiot should replace Corentin Tolisso on the other.
Olivier Giroud will be an option from the bench for Deschamps. He will occupy the position at the tip of the diamond, where he is assigned a free-roaming role to try and drag Switzerland players out of position to create spaces for strike partnership of Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema.
Probable Lineup (4-1-2-1-2): Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Kimpembe, Hernadez; Kante; Pogba, Rabiot; Griezmann; Benzema, Mbappe
A Look At France’s Betting Odds
A team known for its well-orchestrated performances against Germany started off strong, but then stumbled in a 1-0 win.
In Budapest, the French soccer team (Les Bleus) drew 1-1 with Hungary and closed with a 2-2 stalemate against Portugal.
However, Didier Deschamps knows how to plan a tournament campaign. As the coach of France’s World Cup winning team and their Euro 2016 champion squad, he has firsthand experience in successful campaigns.
With his first international goals since 2015, Benzema delivered a boost to the national team. The Real Madrid forward is relishing his surprise recall.
Why you should back France
France is the favorite to win the tournament and they were also slow starters at last year’s World Cup. France has scored more Euro 2020 goals than any other team, but one goal came in the group stage. 12 competitive matches have passed since the start of 2020, and France has managed a 20-9 outscoring rate with six clean sheets earned. 12 clean sheets in 26 total appearances were recorded by veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris last season with Tottenham Hotspur FC.
The French team’s strength is its offense, which features two of the world’s best in Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema. Despite a difficult season, Mbappe still leads the league in France with 27 goals for Paris Saint-Germain, while Benzema is second in Spain’s La Liga with 23. Benzema is on a mission after six long years of exile, and he had both goals in the 2-2 draw with Portugal that concluded group stage play. Antoine Griezmann, who scored the only other goal in the group matches, is also a dangerous option and has six goals and seven assists for France’s national team over their last 15 games.
Switzerland
Switzerland will not have to contend with any injuries while facing France on Monday night. Manager Vladimir Petkovic is planning to use a 3-4-1-2 formation, focusing on keeping it tight at the back while looking to strike fast and on the break.
Three-time Swiss international Yann Sommer will guard Switzerland’s goal, protected by a back line of Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez. The former AC Milan player has been lined up as one of the three centre-backs. This would allow Steven Zuber to stay at left wing-back after his assist in the win over Turkey. Kevin Mbabu should swap out on the left side of the pitch with Silvan Widmer.
Granit Xhaka will have a crucial role to play in shielding the Swiss defense from Paul Pogba’s influence. The former Arsenal captain will have support from Remo Freuler as he attempts to press France’s midfielders and create turnovers. The onus of creativity will largely rest on the shoulders of key man Xherdan Shaqiri, who is operating in the No. 10 role.
The Liverpool player looked in his element in the win over Turkey and will be looking to build on that. For the Swiss strike partnership of Haris Seferovic and Breel Embolo, coach Vladimir Petkovic is unlikely to make any changes.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Sommer; Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Mbabu, Freuler, Xhaka, Zuber; Shaqiri; Seferovic, Embolo
Why you should back Switzerland
Although the French have been struggling lately, the Swiss will be compelled to pull off an upset. Switzerland’s only loss in its past 10 matches came during a recent match against Italy, and the team has not been held off the score sheet in the last 12. Switzerland is 1-1 with opponents such as Spain, Germany and Wales over the past year. When it comes to saving shots in the German Bundesliga, Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer has been one of the best over the last three seasons.
Switzerland has a talented team going forward with Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and Liverpool’s Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri each capable of creating goals. International competition brings out the best in Shaqiri, who scored two times against Turkey to secure advancement into next round. Breel Embolo and Hari Seferovic were strong at the job of scoring goals, each scoring a goal in the group stage. Hari is an excellent striker who scored 22 goals last year for Benfica as well as three in his latest eight international matches.
France vs Switzerland: Match Stats
France has a perfect record against Switzerland, but with the Swiss showing some promise in their previous matches, they ought to be considered legitimate contenders to progress.
After his goal in the 1-1 draw with Hungary, Antoine Griezmann has now scored four goals in his last six international appearances for France.
The Barcelona forward – then of Atletico Madrid – also netted a brace at this stage of Euro 2016 as Deschamps’ squad came from behind to see off the Republic of Ireland 2-1.
Switzerland themselves are not in bad form either. The 3-0 loss by Italy – only loss since they have been undefeated with 10 games – was the first time during that span they have failed to score a goal.
Betting odds and tips for France vs Switzerland
Switzerland started with a 1-1 draw against Wales before being hammered by Italy 3-0.
Switzerland beat Turkey 3-1, with Liverpool playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri scoring a goal and assist in Baku.
Turkey were disappointingly bad at this tournament, so we’re not optimistic that Switzerland will be able to cope when they face a more difficult opponent.
The Rossocrociati have lost three times in the round of 16 on back-to-back appearances, leaving Italy as their latest victim.
We predict that Les Bleus will prevail 2-0 at a betting odds of 23/4 for our last France vs Switzerland betting tips.
You can find the latest betting lines including those from a variety of sites at USA TODAY Sports. These odds are updated each Sunday evening at 6:35 ET.
- Money line: France -175 (bet $175 to win $100) | Switzerland +550 (bet $100 to win $550) | Draw +280
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: +115 | U: -155)
All of our tips are unbiased and have been researched using the latest statistics and figures available at the time of publication.
The odds fluctuate, but the price is set at publish date. Check with your bookmaker before making any bets.
France to Win-to-Nil
France have won all of their previous seven games against Switzerland and they have not conceded a single goal in any of those four victories. France have won four out of the last six matches they completed, each victory was cleanly squared. In international play, Switzerland has historically struggled against larger teams. A recent loss of 3-0 against Italy and a favored team in this tournament likely doesn’t bode well for the Swiss’ chances.
Under 2.5 Goals
This game has low scoring potential considering the last seven meetings between these two countries have produced under 2.5 goals and we’re expecting another low-scoring match France have seen less than two goals in three of their last six matches, and the French have kept a clean sheet four of the last six times.
1-0 to France
France has not looked convincing going forward at Euro 2020, but managed to score in each of their group stage games. The French have only scored one goal in their last three matches and we’re backing them to win with a single goal. Switzerland have not had a clean sheet in their last six games, and we don’t think they’ll be able to keep the French from scoring during the full match.
In the quarterfinals so far, we’ve seen some unexpected results. The Netherlands was out against Czech Republic most people expected them to beat; Italy had their struggles with Austria, needing time in extra time to progress; will France learn from their mistakes? It is expected from the French football team to not just beat Switzerland, but also go all the way to the final. Could France’s best days be behind them? They’ve certainly not played to their full potential in the World Cup, and now have injury concerns moving into their last 16 tie against Switzerland.
The18’s France vs Switzerland Prediction
- Algorithm: France 2-1 Switzerland
- Travis: France 3-1 Switzerland
- Connor: France 4-0 Switzerland
- David: France 2-0 Switzerland
- Grant: France 1-0 Switzerland
- Marz: France 3-1 Switzerland
France vs Switzerland Predicted Lineups
France Predicted XI (4-3-3): Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe, Leo Dubois; Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté, Adrien Rabiot; Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe.
Switzerland Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Yann Sommer; Nico Elvedi, Fabian Schar, Manuel Akanji; Kevin Mbabu, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Ricardo Rodriguez; Xherdan Shaqiri; Haris Seferovic, Breel Embolo.
France vs Switzerland Head-to-head
The international record between the two countries is not as one-sided as many might have confirmed.
France’s record against Switzerland is better, with France winning the fixture four times more often than Switzerland.
This fixture has been played 17 times. France have won it 16 times, while Switzerland have won it 12 times and 10 games have ended in a draw.
In 1992, Switzerland’s soccer team beat France for the last time, which would be a major upset if they were to win again.
France form guide Euro 2020: W-D-D
Switzerland form guide Euro 2020: D-L-W
Conclusion
We’ve seen the Netherlands crash out of Euro 2020 against a Czech side many thought they would beat, while Italy had their struggles against Austria and needed extra time to progress. France will hope that these lessons go in their favour as they head into round number three. The French squad should be expected to not only beat Switzerland but also advance all the way to take home the cup. Decamps hopes haven’t been as good in this tournament. With a few injury problems, they might lose to Switzerland.
France need to bounce back against Switzerland when they play, but it’s unclear if they have what it takes.
Deschamps hopes France can pick up some points against Switzerland before facing tougher opponents.
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