Everything about the round of 16 clash With Rieder and Embolo, without Shaqiri - how Switzerland start against Italy

On Saturday at 18:00, Switzerland will face Italy in the round of 16 of the European Championship. Find out all the news about the national team match here.

Without trepidationCiao Italia! Strong national team eliminates defending European Championship champions Italy

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The line-up is here: How Switzerland will start against Italy
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin makes one change from the 1-1 draw against Germany: Ruben Vargas moves into the starting eleven in place of the suspended Silvan Widmer. Dan Ndoye should take over Widmer's position as an attacking right-back.
The Nati starting XI: Sommer; Rodriguez, Akanji, Schär; Aebischer, Xhaka Freuler, Ndoye; Vargas, Rieder, Embolo.
Aufstellung | Composition | Formazione

🕕 18:00 📺 SRF 2, RTS 2, RSI La 2#natimiteuch #lanatiavecvous #lanaticonvoi #lanaticunvus #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/3JDl0zFrvt
— 🇨🇭 Nati (@nati_sfv_asf) June 29, 2024
The anticipation builds - the stadium fills up
The Nati fans have arrived at the stadium
These fans are highly unlikely to miss the kick-off. Around two hours before kick-off, many Nati supporters are already positioning themselves in front of the stadium.
"25,000 Swiss fans in Berlin - and no one is skeptical"
Berlin is ready for a big Swiss football festival. blue Sport reporter Manuel Rothmund is on the ground and tells us what's going on in Germany's capital ahead of the European Championship round of 16 between the Swiss national team and Italy.
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Poll: Who will win?
Will Ndoye do the Widmer?
Will Murat Yakin cause a surprise in the starting eleven against Italy? And above all: Who will replace the suspended Silvan Widmer at right-back? Immediately after the last group game (1:1 against Germany), Yakin said that he had a replacement for Widmer in Leonidas Stergiou. However, in the "home game with the Nati" on blue Sport during the week, the Nati coach announced that it was not yet certain that Stergiou would be used and that there were several options.
Nati coach remains true to himselfMurat Yakin: "The opponent has to think about how we play"
And now it actually seems to be different. According to "20 Minuten", Dan Ndoye will be deployed in the Widmer position. Ruben Vargas and Fabian Rieder are set to cause a stir in attacking midfield and Breel Embolo will once again play up front. Steven Zuber, who is fit again after his muscle injury, could also be an option in midfield. Apart from Widmer's absence, no changes are expected in defense.
Possible line-up for the Nati: Sommer; Rodriguez, Akanji, Schär; Aebischer, Xhaka Freuler, Ndoye; Vargas, Rieder, Embolo.
Defensive worries for the Italians
The Italians have major defensive concerns ahead of the round of 16 clash. In addition to Riccardo Calafiori, who will miss the game through suspension, left-back Federico Dimarco is also missing with an injury. In addition, central defender Alessandro Bastoni, who has had a fever recently, is also doubtful.
Yakin leaves open who will replace Widmer
On Friday evening, national team coach Murat Yakin is keeping his cards close to his chest. Who will replace the yellow card suspended Silvan Widmer remains his secret. He is happy that he has several options.
In order to be able to replace Widmer, he had called up Leonidas Stergiou, Yakin stated immediately after the last group game. The fact that the 22-year-old is actually a trained central defender and only made six appearances in the starting eleven for VfB Stuttgart last season does not seem to play a major role for the national team coach - or else he hides it well and surprises everyone again on match day with a special line-up.
Before the Italy clashYakin doesn't let us look at his cards - Sommer smiles away question about favorites
The Italians are already talking about a penalty shoot-out
The Italians have prepared for all eventualities. "I let a few goals in during penalty training so they're not so depressed," joked goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma on Friday about his team-mates' preparations. But it was important to practise taking penalties.
In the European Championship final three years ago, the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper saved two penalties in the penalty shoot-out against England and was voted player of the tournament. However, his coach Luciano Spalletti would rather have the game against Switzerland decided beforehand. "It wouldn't be ideal in terms of the game if we had to go to penalties," said the 65-year-old. We shouldn't overdo the practice either, so as not to increase the pressure too much beforehand. "That can backfire," said Spalletti.
Donnarumma as a beacon of hopeThe goalkeeper is once again the big star for the Italians
Donnarumma's opposite number Yann Sommer does not want to discuss the preferences of the potential Italian shooters before the game. He will only look at them together with the coaching team after extra time if the worst comes to the worst. "If that happens, we'll be well prepared," said the Nati goalie.
Nati fan march in Berlin approved
No Swiss fan march was permitted in the last group game in Frankfurt. Such a march has now been approved in Berlin. The Nati fans will meet at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin between 10 am and 2 pm. From there, they will make their way to Charlottenburg S-Bahn station, where they will then continue by S-Bahn to the Olympic Stadium.
For 90 minutes, the house blessing hangs askew
Switzerland versus Italy: this is also a very special duel for many families in this country. There are numerous Swiss wives with Italian husbands - or vice versa, as in this case.
My wife is ItalianFor 90 minutes, the house is a mess
Mathematician talks about Switzerland's chances of winning the title
According to Jonas Bächinger's calculations, Spain is the number 1 favorite for the title. Switzerland is in 10th place in this ranking. Find out what that means in percentage terms in the video.
The betting duel between Zubi and Bächinger
Marcel Reif: "There are no limits for the national team"
How far will the Swiss national team's European Championship journey in Germany go? In the home game with the Nati, expert Marcel Reif explains why he believes Murat Yakin's team can achieve great things. Read more here.
Nati coach Yakin criticizes benchwarmer Okafor
Murat Yakin is underlining his reputation as a tactician at the European Championships. So far, Nico Elvedi and Noah Okafor have had to resign themselves to the reserve role. Okafor would "perhaps" be less able to cope with it, Yakin revealed to blue Sport. But who knows, maybe the AC Milan player will still get a chance against Italy.
Do you remember the last win against Italy?
Switzerland are considered underdogs ahead of the round of 16 clash against defending champions Italy. No wonder, as the national team has been waiting 31 years for a win.
Tennis drama and protests outside the Federal PalaceWhat moved the world the last time Switzerland beat Italy
Sforza: "The national team has nothing to hide"
Freuler: "I didn't want to provoke"
Remo Freuler angered Italy fans with a statement at the press conference. The Bologna international later apologized on Instagram for his unintentional tip. Read more here.
Is Switzerland not playing with the best goalie?
Matthias Brügelmann, editor-in-chief of Sportbild, says in the football talk Heimspiel bei der Nati that Gregor Kobel would play for him instead of Yann Sommer. Read the whole story here.
Zubi: "Italy need a Donnarumma in top form against Switzerland"
blue Sport expert Pascal Zuberbühler is looking forward to the round of 16 against Italy. Here is his assessment of the upcoming European Championship clash.
Murat Yakin: "I'm always open to new ideas"
Murat Yakin, coach of the Swiss national team, was an exclusive guest on blue Sport's Heimspiel program the day after qualifying for the round of 16. In this interview, he talks about how he perceives the fans and why he makes bold decisions.
The group stage in figures
The group stage of the European Championship is history. Before we move on to the round of 16, let's take a look at the statistics from the preliminary round.
The group stage in numbersGermany outstanding ++ Ndoye one of the fastest ++ Nobody scored more than Ronaldo
The knockout phase begins
The round of 16 pairings at a glance
• Switzerland - Italy (June 29, 18:00, Berlin)
• Germany - Denmark (June 29, 9 p.m., Dortmund)
• England - Slovakia (June 30, 6 p.m., Gelsenkirchen)
• Spain - Georgia (June 30, 9 p.m., Cologne)
• France - Belgium (July 1, 18:00, Düsseldorf)
• Portugal - Slovenia (July 1, 9 p.m., Frankfurt)
• Romania - Netherlands (July 2, 18:00, Munich)
• Austria - Turkey (July 2, 9 p.m., Leipzig)
• Poland, Croatia, Albania, Scotland, Serbia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Hungary have beeneliminated.
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