Euro 2020: France look to get into the groove against Switzerland

France have been average so far at the Euros. They started their campaign with a professional 1-0 win over Germany but have been poor since then.

They couldn’t find a way past Hungary and were later on held in a 2-2 draw against Portugal. Despite not playing very impressively, they still managed to remain unbeaten and topped the group of death.

Switzerland rued some missed opportunities in their draw against Wales. After getting a reality check in their match versus Italy, the Swiss players turned on their A game in their final match when they faced Turkey. They totally blew away their opposition and earned a place in the knockouts as a 3rd placed team.

France are strong favourites in this match and for most people, it seems to be the match where France gets a kick on. Didier Deschamps shares similar sentiments as he feels that a whole new competition is about to start.

“A new competition is starting,” France coach Didier Deschamps said.

France will be relying on their lethal front three consisting of Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann. France have been quite solid defensively but need to add some bite to their attack in the rest of the tournament.

“We know we need to improve,” said midfielder Paul Pogba, another of France’s key players.

The Swiss are hoping to end a run of three consecutive exits in the round of 16 at major tournaments. Overall, they have not won a match in a knockout stage at any major tournament in 67 years.

“The pressure will be on them,” Switzerland defender Loris Benito said. “We’ll remain positive.”

Switzerland will know that France are going to have a majority of the possession. Their best chance will be on the counter attacks which is why players like Xherdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo will be key.

Despite not playing much for Liverpool during the course of the season, Shaqiri has shown his class for his national side this summer and a lot will rely on him if Switzerland are to progress further.