Switzerland vs Spain: Ferran Torres and Gerard Moreno the men to back
- Michael Graham
- 2 July 2021
Spain have been one of the most frustratingly fascinating teams in Euro 2020, and they can book a semi-final spot if they beat France-conquering Switzerland.
When: Friday July 2, 5pm BST
Where: St Petersburg
How to watch: ITV
Best bets
Switzerland got the better of world champions France in the round of 16, dumping them out of the competition after a penalty shootout.
This will be the first time the two sides have ever met at a European Championship, although they have been well-acquainted over the years with meetings at the 1966, 1994 and 2010 World Cups.
Spain have, as you'd expect, had the better of their matches, losing just one of their previous 22 meetings. That defeat came at a major tournament in 2010, though, and that will give encouragement to the Swiss.
Euro 2020 form
Switzerland
Switzerland's win over France was thrilling. There is simply no other way to describe it. They led, they missed a penalty, they were down and out, they rallied, and they won the shootout.
Spain
They started out looking technically superb but utterly toothless and devoid of identity in attack in their first two games, then became the first team in European Championship history to score five goals in successive games.
How much do Switzerland have left?
Switzerland pulled off the shock of Euro 2020 against France, and it shouldn't simply be written off as a lucky penalty shootout win or a Kylian Mbappe failure.
The Swiss were the better side for most of the game and missed a penalty to go 2-0 up. They pretty soon found themselves 3-1 down, yet were able to haul themselves back onto level terms late on.
Switzerland showed they can do it against France. However, there is a huge difference between doing it and doing it again and that's the challenge they face against Spain.
Switzerland squad
Spain tough to judge
For all they impressed against Slovakia, it's important to stress just how poor the Slovaks were that day, and they got a big helping hand, literally, from goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
They supplied a comedy own goal of their own against Croatia, but rallied to get themselves into a winning position. However, they did their best to throw it away before taking advantage of ageing Croatian legs in extra time.
Spain squad
Spain's Alvaro Morata celebrates with team-mate Jordi Alba
International head-to-head
Switzerland wins: 1
Draws: 6
Spain wins: 16
Goalscorer bets
Alvaro Morata came into the tournament as Spain's main man, but it's Gerard Moreno and Ferran Torres who have looked the greater threats.
Moreno can be backed at around 50/1 for a hat-trick and you'll be looking at about 3/1 for him to be the first goalscorer.
Torres' odds to open the scoring are a little longer, at around 6/1, and that's because he has tended to start on the bench. But if things are tight and Spain still need to break the deadlock, he's the man they'll be turning to.
Haris Seferovic has been the man delivering for Switzerland, but Mario Gavranovic scored a huge goal against France so he will be worth checking out, and you're likely to get around 4/1 for Breel Embolo to score anytime, too.
