International Friendly: Danes Welcome Self-Assured Switzerland to Parken Stadium

Denmark vs Switzerland

Denmark were steamrolling the competition before they were halted by Ireland in their last match in the Euro qualifiers. Kasper Hjulmand and the rest of his outfit will welcome Switzerland to Parken for an International Friendly that they hope will rekindle the stellar run they had in the qualifiers. They will go against a weathered Switzerland squad before welcoming Faroe Islands to their gates.

Switzerland have opted to keep Murat Yakin despite an uninspiring run to end their 2023 campaign and building tension with players. Yakin and the Swiss side hope that their friendly warmups with Denmark and Ireland will turn their fortunes around and get them back to their winning ways for the upcoming Euro 2024.

Talking Points

Andreas Christensen pulls out of Denmark friendlies

27-year-old Andreas Christensen has unfortunately withdrawn from the Denmark squad after suffering an injury that he sustained during the warm-up ahead of Barcelona’s La Liga tie with Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

“Christensen is not injured per se. He has some Achilles discomfort, the same thing I had when I played. It’s painful, but it depends on the day. Today he told us that he couldn’t play,” Barcelona boss Xavi stated.

The centre-back was initially selected as part of Xavi’s starting XI for their marquee matchup against Diego Simeone’s Atleti, but he felt discomfort in his Achilles during the pre-game warm-up and decided then and there that he would drop out of the side.

Just a day after Barcelona’s 3-0 win against Atletico Madrid, the Danish Dynamite revealed that Christensen had withdrawn from the squad for their upcoming friendlies against Switzerland and Faroe Islands. The centre-back will remain with his domestic club, Barcelona, in hopes of being available for their tie against Las Palmas after the international window.

Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand shared his worry over Christensen in a press conference, saying, “It’s not an injury that just happened during warm-up, but rather something that has been building up over time; he’s had issues with it before. He tried to play yesterday, but he couldn’t.”

“I’m not just worried for Andreas. After this break, there are five weeks where all the competitions are decided, and the players are under immense pressure,” he added.

Luckily for Hjulmand, his outfit boasts a plethora of talent in the first third. Studs like Simon Kjaer, Joachim Anderson, Victor Kristiansen, and Joakim Maehle are a few studs who can pick up the slack and be the last bastion of defence for Denmark while Christensen remains in street clothes.

Switzerland bring in Sierro and Kutesa

After an abysmal stretch to end the 2023 calendar, Nati opted to stick with Murat Yakin despite a four-game winless stretch to end the Euro qualifiers. Nonetheless, Yakin and the rest of Switzerland still managed to finish second in Group I, successfully fending off Israel, who trailed by just two points.

“Even though we had four draws and lost once in the last qualifying matches, Murat Yakin has all our confidence,” Swiss FA President Dominique Blanc said in a statement.

Now, Nati can focus on the Euros, but first, they have to face off against Denmark and the Republic of Ireland and hope to trend in the right direction before Germany in June.

In an attempt to garner winning International Friendly 2024 results against Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, the Swiss rewarded midfielder Vincent Sierro and winger Dereck Kutesa with their first squad calls last week.

Sierro, 28, found his form as the skipper of French outfit Toulouse. The Ligue 1 midfielder has managed to score four goals and claim one assist in 24 appearances for Toulouse thus far this season.

Meanwhile, Kutesa serves as the maestro for Servette in the Swiss Super League. The 26-year-old winger has already tallied six assists in 28 matches this season, while scoring four goals to boot.

Sierro and Kutesa are just two of the few new faces called up by head coach Murat Yakin for international duty against Denmark and Ireland, with the 49-year-old Swiss tactician hoping to give the squad a new look ahead of the spectacle in June.

History

Switzerland have yet to win against Denmark in the last decade. The Danes won their most recent matchup against Nati with a slim 1-0 triumph in the group stage of the Euro 2019. They played a much more competitive tie seven days prior, when both outfits heated up offencively and scored three goals apiece, ending the match with a 3-3 draw.

In recent form, Denmark have won four of their last five, with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10. They went on a five-game winning streak in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, but they fumbled their last match against Northern Ireland and suffered a 2-0 clean sheet defeat at Windsor Park.

Meanwhile, Switzerland had a tepid end to their Euro qualification, tallying a 1-3-1 record in their last five and a 4-5-1 record in their last 10. Murat Yakin and his outfit are keen on turning their luck around before facing their Group C rivals at Euro 2024.

Betting Tip

The International Friendly 2024 betting odds have the Danes as the slight favourites at 2.13, while Switzerland are right there at 3.00 with a draw price of 2.95. The SBOTOP odds suggest that this will be a competitive bout, given that no team has a clear advantage over the other.

Given their recent form and the depth of their talent pool, Denmark at 2.13 poses a line with great value that excited punters should consider. Denmark have won four of their last five, proving that they’re in good form as of late. Not to mention that the Danes will have home advantage over the tepid Swiss outfit.

 

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