Prediction: Switzerland to move into the knockout stage as runner-up, no more.
The Swiss qualified to the Euro Cup 2016 for their 4th time. So far their career in this championship is not that encouraging, only 1 win in 9 games playing as hosts. They have finished dead last in their group on all Euro Cup´s. But something tells us this could be the year for Switzerland to finally lock a second place in Group A, with France as first qualifier, Romania and Albania as 3rd and 4th respectively.
What makes the difference? Several key players that have made it to Europe´s finest leagues and clubs, their recent offensive stats have been improving to turn them into an aggressive squad, and they made it to the last 16 in the World Cup of 2014.
What are they missing? A key striker. The hold a powerful offense with several quality players, among them Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke City, with 4 goals is the top scorer.
Review their attack strategy with the top 5 goals in the qualifiers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOI7kujkzMM
Qualification Phase
They were beaten in their first two games but quickly recovered with 4 straight home wins, 17 goals total. They finished runner-ups behind England in Group E.
Switzerland Euro Cup Predictions
The Swiss have what it takes to move on to the knockout stage with low level contenders as Albania and Romania.
Switzerland vs France
Xherdan Shaqiri – Switzerland´s best player
Bet tip: France to Win
Over/Under: Over 2.5 goals match totals
France being host and favorites to win the tournament might just be out of their league, and the Swiss lack the confident defense to draw them in a match. They will suffer on this one.
Switzerland vs Romania
Bet Tip: Switzerland Draw no Bet
Over/Under: Under 2.5 match goals
Team Goals: Under 2.5 Swiss goals
Switzerland has the upper hand, but Romania has a solid defense that will be hard to penetrate on this championship. During the qualifiers the Swiss scored 17 goals and the Romanians only conceded in two games. This will be a match between strong offense vs defense. On this situations best offense wins 60% of the time, but it is not a sure bet. The Swiss could win by the minimum difference with struggle or most probably the match ends in a draw. But this prediction is shaky, Switzerland also lost their first two games in the qualifiers, they might lose focus trying to desperately score, and Romania could score.
Switzerland vs Albania
Bet Tip: Switzerland to win
Over/Under: Over 2.5 match goals *Not a favorite bet.
Albania has a gaming strategy similar to Romania, a strong defense and lack of offense personality, but much weaker and disorganized in some respects. In fact, Albania qualified to the Euro Cup almost by chance. They did win a surprising match against Portugal 1-0, and were awarded a 3-0 win against Serbia after the game ended in a riot when a drone was brought into the field carrying a national symbol.
Bets Players
Switzerland has been improving its base player squad with many of them performing in major leagues from Germany, England and Italy. All in all they provide a fast pace game, lots of goal opportunities and a powerful striking force, but with a rusted aim and leadership.
Xherdan Shaqiri
An amazing player from Stoke City with lots of experience. He is the key creative force and top scorer with 4 goals. Keep an eye on his performance for bet decisions.
Other Key Players
- Gokhan INler – Leicester City
- Valon Behrami – Watford
Manager – Vladimir Petkovic
Vladimir Petkovic has a curious story, 52 and nationalized Swiss citizen (original from Croatia), he used to work for a homeless charity between 2003 and 2008 while coaching low league clubs in Switzerland in the evenings. His eve in professional football came in late in his life, but he seems to be making history with the Switzerland team.
Betting Tips and Picks
- Prediction – Switzerland to move to the knockout stage as runner-up.
- Over/Under – Keep it to the lower side except against France. Albania and Romania are powerful defensive teams and Switzerland has aa strong but not always effective attack.
