Switzerland vs England
Sunday 9th June 2019
UEFA Nations League – Third Place Play-Off, Estadio D.Afonso Henriques
Live on Sky Sports Main Event – Kick Off: 14:00 BST
Switzerland vs England: Gareth Southgate is tasked with picking up England after throwing away another semi-final lead against the Netherlands when they take on Switzerland on Sunday.
It was another night of what could have been for England on Thursday night as they went down 3-1 to the Netherlands. Despite leading until the 73rd minute, Southgate’s side were once again guilty of handing the initiative to the opposition. The Three Lions dropped deeper and deeper, inviting pressure on to themselves, just as they did against Croatia a little under 12 months ago. John Stones’ inexplicable error then all-but sealed their fate, before Ross Barkley allowed Ronald Koeman’s side to add a third. England were reminded just how short they are on quality in midfield, as Frenkie De Jong ran the show, just as Luka Modric did in Russia. Jordan Henderson’s absence from the starting XI hit the Three Lions hard, whilst the absence of a true ball-playing midfielder still haunt Southgate and the FA.
Switzerland went down 3-1 to Portugal on Wednesday, with a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick proving the difference between the two sides. Vladimir Petkovic’s side were also embroiled in more VAR controversy. After seeing their initial penalty appeal turned down at one end, Portugal broke and earned a spot-kick of their own. VAR interjected and German official Felix Brych gave the Swiss penalty on review, allowing Ricardo Rodriguez to equalise. It proved to have little impact, though, as Fernando Santos’ side ran out winners. Switzerland last faced the Three Lions in September 2018, where they came away with a 1-0 defeat. In fact, they haven’t beat the Three Lions since 1981, a run of 11 matches.
Ovidiu Haţegan is the referee for this match. The official plies his trade in the Romanian league and has officiated 29 games this season. During those matches, he has accumulated an average cards total of 4.76. Therefore, I would recommend a maximum of 60+ booking points for this fixture.
Southgate is bound to make changes following Thursday night’s defeat. It’s been a long season for most of the Three Lions contingent, so there may be further experimentation. I’ll still back them for a narrow win, though.
Switzerland vs England will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event with kick-off at 14:00 BST.
Prediction: Switzerland 1-2 England
Suggested Tips – Switzerland vs England (SKYBET)
- Correct score, England Win 2-1 – 8/1.
- Scorecast Boost (Double Chance) – Harry Kane to score first and England to win 2-1 or 3-1 – 25/1. (NB).
- Price Boost – Wilson and Sterling to both score – 13/2.
- Winning Margin – Exactly 1 Goal – England – 3/1.
- Popular RequestABets – Shaqiri & Sterling to score and Schar & Rose to be carded – 100/1. (Outsider Shout).
- Popular Player Stats RequestABets – Draw 0-0 and no booking points – 125/1.
- Player Stats RequestABets – Kane to score a header and Shaqiri to score from outside the area – 80/1. (Outsider Shout 2).
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Yes or No? – Q1 – Yes, Q2 – Yes, Q3 – No, Q4 – Yes, Q5 – Yes, Q6 – No – 40/1.Player Stats RequestABets – Kane 1+ shots on target & Shaqiri 1+ shots on target and 3+ corners each team – 6/4. (NAP).
