Euro 2024: Will the Swiss Pile More Misery on the Scots?

Scotland vs Switzerland

Scotland’s Euro 2024 run may be cut short if they lose another game in Group A, and they’re facing an uphill climb against Switzerland on Wednesday at the RheinEnergieStadion.

As you all know, the top two teams in the group will directly advance to the knockout stage, while the third seed can also make it, depending on the next few Euro 2024 results and rankings.

Scotland, who were slapped by Germany with a 5-1 scoreline last time out, don’t want to leave it to chance if they plan to go through, making this game so important.

Switzerland, on the other hand, are one step closer to moving on to the knockout phase after a 3-1 victory against Hungary. If they win their second straight, they will most likely secure their spot in the next round.

 

Talking Points

Huge backline loss for Scotland

Scotland unraveled against Germany in the opener, as they were simply outclassed. It also didn’t help them that they were reduced to 10 men right before halftime.

After Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala gave the tournament hosts a 2-0 lead, it got worse for Scotland when Ryan Porteous was given a straight red card for his horror tackle on Ilkay Gundogan.

Kai Havertz converted the penalty kick, and Niclas Fullkrug and Emre Can added two more goals for Germany for good measure. This would’ve been a clean sheet if Antonio Rudiger didn’t have an own goal.

Porteus is going to be out for two games, so head coach Steve Clarke will call on either Grant Hanley or Scott McKenna to fill the void.

Steve Clarke may have to bring back Billy Gilmour into the starting lineup to bolster their midfield after he was surprisingly snubbed against Germany last time out.

Che Adams was anonymous against Germany, so the Southampton forward may cede his position to Lawrence Shankland just to give Scotland a different look up front.

Premier League stars Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Andy Robertson, and Kieran Tierney will also need to be better on Wednesday against the Swiss.

 

Aebischer makes history for Switzerland

Granit Xhaka may have won Player of the Match against Hungary, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Michel Aebischer was considered, given his impact in the 3-1 victory.

The Bologna midfielder became the first Swiss player to both score and dish and assist at a single Euros game, as he teed up Kwadwo Duah for the first goal and scored one for himself right before halftime.

And their amazing night was capped off by Breel Embolo, who came off the bench and scored a goal during added time.

There’s more good news for the Swiss, as Denis Zakaria is on course to return to the squad after he completed their latest training session, according to reports. The AS Monaco man was out in the first game because he was nursing a thigh injury.

 

History

Scotland and Switzerland will meet for the first time since March 2006, when the latter won an international friendly with a score of 3-1. In the said exhibition match, Tranquillo Barnetta, Daniel Gygax, and Ricardo Cabanas scored for the Swiss, while Kenny Miller scored once for the Scots.

This is also their first encounter in the Euros since 1996, when Scotland recorded a 1-0 victory, as Ally McCoist scored the lone goal of the contest.

Overall, Scotland have the edge in the head-to-heads against Switzerland with eight wins, three draws, and five losses.

Scotland qualified for four Euros, but they never made it out of the group stage and will look to change that. Switzerland, meanwhile, are coming off a quarter-finals run in 2020, which saw them eliminate France via penalties in the Round of 16.

 

Betting Tip

The Euro 2024 odds are backing Switzerland to get their second straight win at the expense of Scotland. The Swiss are 1.86 favourites, while the Scots are priced at 4.21 to win, and a draw is at 3.38 odds in the 1X2 market.

Most of the previous meetings between Scotland and Switzerland have had goals, and this one is not going to be any different. Other than our bet above, SBOTOP bettors may also want to go for Over 2.00 at 1.59, Over 2.50 at 2.11, and Total Goals 2-3 at 1.89.

However, if you’re a fan of Scotland and you fancy their chances to beat Switzerland, then check out the Correct Scores of 1-0, 2-1, and 2-0, given their generous offers of 10.50, 15.50, and 24.00, respectively.

   

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