Spain face a tricky Group A4 clash against Switzerland on Sunday as they continue their quest to retain the UEFA Nations League. The Spaniards often find things difficult against Switzerland and a closely fought encounter could be on the cards here.
Switzerland were not quite at their best in their opening fixture as they suffered a 2-0 defeat in Denmark. The Swiss struggled to create much going forward and could only muster a single attempt on target, although they did have two players sent off.
That result means Switzerland have now picked up just one win from their last five matches across all competitions. Murat Yakin’s men have been plagued by draws lately having been held three times in that run.
Spain head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 0-0 draw with Serbia in their opening Group A4 fixture. They saw plenty of possession and created several goalscoring opportunities but were uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal.
That result ended a run of nine straight victories across all competitions for the Spaniards, who would be keen to make a swift return to winning ways. While manager Luis de la Fuentes will be disappointed with the draw, he will take the positives from the clean sheet which was their first in the last five matches.
How the bookies view it: Spain the favourites
Spain have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/6 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Switzerland is valued at 4/1 while Betfred is also offering odds of 3/1 for a draw.
Head to head: Swiss always tricky
Spain have a 6-2 advantage with three draws from 11 previous matches against Switzerland. However, the Swiss have drawn the last two fixtures at home and claimed a 2-1 victory in Spain during the last UNL back in 2022.
Players to watch: Spanish attack to deliver
Dani Olmo has a solid scoring record for Spain having found the net three times in the last five matches. With the likes of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams also looking sharp the Spaniards could be backed to produce over 1.5 goals at 10/11 with Betfred.
While Switzerland looked off colour going forward last time out, they do have some attacking quality. Ruben Vargas and Breel Embolo could be worth keeping an eye on and can lead the hosts to over 0.5 goals at 4/6 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Switzerland will be without captain Granit Xhaka and defender Nico Elvedi, who were both sent off last time out. Gregory Wuthrich is likely to be handed a start at the back while Denis Zakaria should feature in midfield.
The Spaniards are expected to shake up their attack with Mikel Oyarzabal likely to start in place of Ayoze Perez. Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand should continue their partnership in central defence.
Switzerland: Kobel, Rodriguez, Akanji, Wuthrich, Aebischer, Zakaria, Freuler, Widmer, Vargas, Embolo, Rieder
Spain: Raya, Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella, Zubimendi, Ruiz, Yamal, Olmo, Williams, Oyarzabal
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been goals for both teams in three of the last four meetings and a similar outcome is priced at evens with Betfred. The last meeting produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 11/10 by Betfred, who is also offering 11/4 for over 3.5 goals.
With a closely fought encounter expected on Sunday, a halftime draw could be considered at 23/20 with Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between Switzerland and Spain will be played on Sep 8, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Switzerland vs Spain prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
