The first of the Round of 16 games puts Switzerland against Italy. The Swiss have been one of the pleasant surprises of the tournament so far, while Italy has failed to live up to the expectations placed upon them. The defending champions will now have to prove that they have what it takes in order to reach the later phases of the Euro.
Switzerland Team News
Murat Yakin and his team have been playing some good football and were just minutes away from defeating Germany and winning Group A. But even finishing second, Switzerland proved they can play some attacking football. That probably comes at the cost of conceding goals, as the team is on a 4 game streak in without a clean sheet. Yet Murat Yakin’s boys have escaped the clutches of defeat for a long time now as they are also unbeaten in any of their last 7 fixtures. It also should be pointed out that Switzerland has come back from behind in 2 of their most recent draws, something that alludes to resilience.
Italy Team News
So far Italy have failed to live up to the expectations placed upon them. They might count themselves lucky to be here seeing as how a magnificent Mattia Zaccagni brace deep inside stoppage time handed them a draw against Croatia. Had they not taken some points in that game, Italy would have been prematurely out of the tournament. And while Squadra Azzurra might have been somewhat disappointing, they have lost just once in their last 9 games and have 5 wins from them. This is a solid foundation to build upon even if their games have been tight affairs in recent times.
Head-to-Head-Games
Draws are what dominate the head-to-head results in this rivalry as 4 of the last 5 fixtures between the two have produced stalemates. Goals are also notably absent as just 1 of those 5 games featured over 2.5 goals.
Switzerland – Italy Betting Prediction
I expect this to be a tight affair that doesn’t feature a lot of goals. Usually, that is the norm when Switzerland and Italy play one another. In the previous two Euro tournaments, Switzerland’s games from the Round of 16 went to extra time. Italy’s last Round of 16 showing in the European Championship also went the extra mile. I will not be surprised to see this game go the extra mile as I expect this to be a low-scoring game between two evenly matched teams, at least based on recent form. That is why my pick here is for under 2.5 goals
Betting Tip: Under 2.5 Goals
Bookmaker: Sportsbet.io
Odds: 1.45
Sportsbet.io
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