UEFA Nations League: Spain Will Show No Mercy to Switzerland

Spain vs Switzerland

The final set of UEFA Nations League matches are underway this week as we’re about to determine who will advance to the knockout stages.

One of the countries who’s in pole position is Spain since they’re leading Group A2 with eight points, although they need at least one more win to fully secure their top berth. Their opponents this weekend at Zaragoza are Switzerland, who are at the bottom with only three points.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds are backing La Roja given their dominance over the Swiss in these past few years. Murat Yakin’s men are basically out to salvage some pride before bowing out of this tournament.

Talking Points

Spain buoyed by their depth

Spain have cemented their position as one of the best teams in Europe heading into Qatar for the World Cup later this year, and they’re also one of the favourites to win the UEFA Nations League.

La Roja’s defence has improved since they’ve kept successive clean sheets after their draws versus Portugal and Czech Republic. Despite not having the best individual defenders, Luis Enrique has built a well-organised side who’s skilled at keeping possession, thus reducing their opponents’ attacking opportunities.

The omission of Sergio Ramos initially raised eyebrows given his experience at 180 caps, but he has struggled with fitness issues ever since he arrived at PSG in 2021. Inigo Martinez and Eric Garcia will remain as their starting centre-backs, while Marcos Alonso and Dani Carvajal join them as their full-backs.

Scoring goals has sometimes been an issue for La Roja and they need to figure out who will lead their frontline moving forward.

In these past few matches, Pablo Sarabia is the one who’s leading the way by scoring goals in their last two matches and he’ll be joined by Ferran Torres and Alvaro Morata.

Another interesting move made by Luis Enrique was the removal of Ansu Fati, replacing him with Nico Williams. This is the first call-up for the Athletic Bilbao winger and he’ll join his older brother Inaki.

Switzerland are already looking ahead

Advancing to the knockout stages is now beyond Switzerland and a third-place finish is considered a success at this point for them.

After losing three straight to kick off their UEFA Nations League campaign, the Swiss won 1-0 against Portugal and they’ll aim to build consistency as they prepare for the World Cup this November.

Murat Yakin has a talented squad and he can mix up his rotation against Spain. Haris Seferovic, Breel Embolo, and Xherdan Shaqiri are likely to start up front, while Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, and Djibril Sow should make up their midfield.

After sitting out against Portugal, Yann Sommer should reclaim his spot between the sticks since he’s in great form playing for Borussia Monchengladbach. Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, and Fabian Schar are the candidates to cover Sommer at centre half.

History

Spain have had Switzerland’s number across international competitions because they have yet to lose in this fixture since their World Cup group stage meeting back in 2010. In their last five encounters prior to this match, La Roja have won three times and drawn twice.

These nations met last June for their first 2022-23 UEFA Nations League showdown at the Stade de Geneve and Luis Enrique’s men triumphed 1-0 as Pablo Sarabia’s left-footed strike after 13 minutes proved to be the difference.

Switzerland almost ended their winless drought against Spain back in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals. But after drawing 1-1 in regulation, La Roja advanced to the next round via penalties (3-1).

These two nations were also groupmates in the 2020-21 edition of the UEFA Nations League. Spain won 1-0 first, but Switzerland held them to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture. The Swiss are looking to achieve something similar this Saturday night.

La Roja eventually went to as far as the finals in the said tournament, but they lost to France 2-1.

Betting Tip

The UEFA Nations League 2022 odds are tipping Spain to win. The hosts are installed at 1.47, while Switzerland are pegged at 5.60 and chances for a draw are at 2.17.

Haris Seferovic’s record-breaking goal in their shock win over Portugal last June may have given Switzerland something to cheer about, but it’s already too late since they’ve had a poor run of UEFA Nations League 2022 results in the matches prior.

Spain should win at home, but goals might be hard to come by – making Under 2.50 @ 1.91 a viable alternative bet.

 

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