Switzerland vs Portugal Nations League preview: Where to watch, prediction, form guide
Sunday, June 12, 2022
Article summary
When is it? How can you watch it? All you need to know about the UEFA Nations League Group A2 game between Switzerland and Portugal.
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Switzerland and Portugal meet in UEFA Nations League Group A2 on Sunday 12 June.
Switzerland vs Portugal at a glance
When: Sunday 12 June (20:45 CET kick-off)
Where: Stade de Genève, Geneva
What: UEFA Nations League Group A2 fixture
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage will appear here
Where to watch Switzerland vs Portugal on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here.
Line-ups
Switzerland: Omlin; Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodríguez; Freuler, Xhaka, Sow; Shaqiri, Seferović, Embolo
Portugal: Rui Patrício; João Cancelo, Pepe, Danilo, Nuno Mendes; Bruno Fernandes, Rúben Neves, Otávio; Rafael Leão, André Silva, Vitinha
Form guide
Switzerland (most recent match first): LLLDLW
Portugal (most recent match first): WWDWWL
Group A2 so far
02/06 Czech Republic 2-1 Switzerland
02/06 Spain 1-1 Portugal
05/06 Czech Republic 2-2 Spain
05/06 Portugal 4-0 Switzerland
09/06 Portugal 2-0 Czech Republic
09/06 Switzerland 0-1 Spain
Expert prediction
Daniel Thacker, match reporter: Winners of this competition in 2019, Portugal have begun the latest UEFA Nations League campaign in style with two wins – including a 4-0 triumph against Switzerland last weekend – and a draw, with Cristiano Ronaldo to the fore with two goals and an assist in three outings, positioning himself prominently in the top scorer rankings.
For their part, the Swiss are eager for a first win in this edition and showed signs of progress, particularly defensively, in Thursday's narrow defeat by Spain. Sunday's venue, Geneva, has a considerable Portuguese population and tickets have long been sold out which should make for a memorable occasion.
What the coaches say
Murat Yakin, Switzerland coach: "We shouldn't compare with what has gone before: not with the Portugal game [last week] nor with what we achieved in the autumn. We've made a few defensive errors which are punished at this level. Against Spain we improved and saw that we can hold our own tactically. I don't want to make major changes. Jonas Omlin will play because we said that everyone will get a chance. We'll see if Nico Elvedi can play. Same for Manuel Akanji."
Fernando Santos, Portugal coach: "Against Spain, [Switzerland] made substantial changes. They could have drawn: they were more aggressive. [Xherdan] Shaqiri played in front of the two midfielders against us, but against Spain he played on the right, much wider, making use of his left foot. He is a good player who finishes well. They will want to show that they can beat us but we want to do the same. I don't know how many changes I'll make to the starting XI, but there will be some. The players have responded well and are happy to be here. The Portuguese can be proud of them."
What happens after the UEFA Nations League group stage?
The four group winners in League A will advance to the knockout finals with, in principle, one appointed as hosts. The semi-finals will be played on 14 and 15 June 2023 with the final and third-place play-off to follow on 18 June.
The teams finishing fourth in the groups in League A will be relegated to League B for the 2024/25 edition.