Denmark begin life without long-serving boss Kasper Hjulmand as they take on Switzerland in an intriguing opener to Group A4 in the UEFA Nations League.
Hjulmand was a success during his four-year reign but the high point came early on as he led the team to within a whisker of the Euro 2020 Final against the odds.
The following World Cup was an anti-climax as the Danes crashed out in the group stage but they did reach the last 16 at Euro 2024 before bowing out with a 2-0 defeat to hosts Germany as two bets landed for me.
Hjulmand stood down after that exit and Augsburg assistant coach Lars Knudsen will take interim charge for the Nations League games with the Swiss and Serbia.
Switzerland have more continuity with Murat Yakin still at the helm after an impressive campaign at Euro 2024. The Swiss knocked out Italy in the last 16 and only a shootout defeat to England stopped them from reaching the semi-finals.
Yakin's side are always a tough team to beat so this Nations League opener is a tricky one to call.
How the bookies view it: Danes have the edge at home
Despite being a team in transition, Denmark are Betfred's 5/4 favourites with home advantage. Switzerland look overpriced at 2/1 while the draw will be popular at 21/10.
Recent head to head: It's a Swiss miss
These sides have faced off five times since 1998 and the Danes are unbeaten across all those games, with two wins and three draws. The last meeting came back in March in a friendly but it was a non-event as they played out a 0-0 draw in Copenhagen.
Players to watch: Wind in the sails
With Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund injured, Jonas Wind is likely to lead the line for Denmark. The Wolfsburg striker is a handful and he's a decent 12/5 for anytime scorer.
Breel Embolo is back to full fitness and the Monaco forward looks the best bet for a Swiss goal. He scored in the Euro 2024 quarter-final against England on his last international outing and looks overpriced at 5/2 for a goal here.
Probable line-ups
Swiss veterans Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabian Schar and Yann Sommer have retired from international football while Hojlund and Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen miss out for the Danes through injury.
Denmark: Schmeichel, Vestergaard, Nelsson, Andersen, Bah, Hjulmand, Hojbjerg, Dorgu, Eriksen, Skov Olsen, Wind.
Switzerland: Kobel, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez, Ndoye, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer, Vargas, Okafor, Embolo.
Anything else catch the eye?
There's not much between these sides and it this should be another close game. The half-time draw has landed in the last two meetings so that looks the best option for punters here at 21/20 with Betfred.
Both sides haven't been scoring freely so it's no surprise to see under 2.5 goals at just 4/6. Backing most goals to come after the break is better value at 11/10.
Ruben Vargas looked a threat at the Euros for Switzerland so the 5/4 on offer at Bet365 for him to have a shot on target here could be worth a punt.
The same firm have a market for cards and Swiss star Ricardo Rodriguez looks overpriced at 4/1 to go in the book.
This UEFA Nations League match between Denmark and Switzerland will be played on Sep 5, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Denmark vs Switzerland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
