Both sides have made great strides in the tournament and are now playing some the best soccer. Spain is ranked No. The favorite to advance will be No. 6, but No. 13 Switzerland is a great place to be, with its top players making big moves.
Russia's winner in this match will face another difficult semifinal: Italy vs. Belgium.
The match will be broadcast by ESPN in English. You can stream the match on fuboTV for a 7-day free trial. The broadcast will also be available in Spanish on Univision’s PrendeTV.
Spain solves its scoring problems
Spain's early difficulties were not due to poor play. Luis Enrique's team has had no problems creating scoring opportunities (a tournament record 10.6 expected goals). They have fallen short at crucial moments because they aren't finishing them off.
The Spaniards proved that they are not dependent on one attacker to win, with consecutive five-goal bursts featuring a variety of goal scorers. Alvaro Morata, the starting center forward, was able to overcome all critics and score a stunning game-winning goal against Croatia.
Spain can expect its runners and playmakers to find a way past the Swiss defense against a Swiss team that has conceded chances. It's not clear what will happen in front of the goal.
How came the Swiss get this far?
Switzerland had not advanced to the quarterfinals in a major competition since 1938. But it was finally able to overcome the hump by defeating pre-tournament favourites France. With 15 minutes left, the Swiss were down 3-1. The Round of 16 matchup seemed like another loss for them, until their miraculous comeback.
They have reached this point thanks to timely goals scored by an underrated attacking team that finally got it together: Haris Seferovic from Benfica, Liverpool's Xherdan Shahiri, and Breel Embolo (German Bundesliga) and Steven Zuber.
Granit Xhaka is the captain and general midfielder. However, he will be suspended from the match. His likely replacement will be the Bundesliga all-terrain middlefielders Denis Zakaria and Djibril Sow, who are probably closest to matching Xhaka’s skills.
Spain vs. Switzerland: Start Lineups
Spain (4-3-3, from left to right).23-Simon -- 18–Alba, 4-P. Torres. 24-Laporte. 2-Azpilicueta. 26-Pedri. 5-Busquets. 8-Koke. 22-Sarabia. 7-Morata. 11-F. Torres.
Switzerland (5-3-2, from left to right).1-Sommer -- 14Zuber, 13Rodriguez. 5-Akanji. 4-Elvedi. 3-Widmer. 8-Freuler. 23-Shaqiri. 6-Zakaria. 7-Embolo. 9-Seferovic.
Spain vs. Switzerland: Odds and prediction
Based on the results of their Nations League matches against Spain, the Swiss will be happy about their chances of keeping it close. They have a 1-1 draw at home and a 1-0 loss in Spain. The Swiss would have won the home match if it wasn't for an equalizer in the 89th minute.
The personnel of Spain has changed significantly since the 2020 matchups, and the team is now different across the board. Pedri has been a key player in the midfield and Pablo Sarabia has established himself as a reliable winger. Eric Garcia and Aymeric Leporte are now the central defense's mainstays.
It's possible that it will turn into another close affair but it is unlikely that the Swiss can surprise again without their captain. Based on the odds, these are the thoughts of sportsbooks.
If you think this will result in multiple goals for Spain, the Asian Handicaps is a good play. If Spain wins the match, it is likely that Spain will take the lead. Spain's chances of scoring goals should increase.
Prediction:Spain 3, Switzerland 1.
Odds, courtesy of DraftKings
- Switzerland to Win (90 minutes)+480
- Switzerland will move forward:+230
- Draw (90 minutes)+285
- Spain to win (90 minutes)-157
- Spain will advance:-305
- Spain wins the match and scores first:-118
- Spain shots on target spread -22.5 (incl. Extra time: -125
- Spain -1.25 Asian Handicap+150
- Spain -1.5 Asian Handicap+188
