Portugal vs Switzerland Women's EURO preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups

Portugal meet Switzerland at Wigan & Leigh in UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Group C on Saturday 9 July.

Where to watch Portugal vs Switzerland on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Women's EURO 2022 broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Portugal were late arrivals at the finals, coming in after Russia were excluded, but they fared respectably on debut at Women's EURO 2017 and have had encouraging results in pre-tournament games. Switzerland have had some punishing friendly encounters –notably a 7-0 loss to Germany – but coach Nils Nielsen led Denmark to the final last time out, and his side should not be underestimated.

Starting line-ups

Portugal: Pereira; Amado, Gomes, C. Costa, Marchão; Do. Silva, T. Pinto, Norton; Borges, J. Silva, Di. Silva

Switzerland: Thalmann; Maritz, Calligaris, Kiwic, Aigbogun; Crnogorčević, Wälti, Maendly, Reuteler; Sow; Bachmann

Reporters' views

Carlos Machado, Portugal reporter

The watchword in the Portugal side is 'enjoy'. Reaching England was a bonus and the side will try to continue their best spell for the women's game in the country. In a hard group, Switzerland could be the ideal opponents for a good start as the Portuguese look to fulfil the minimum goal set for this tournament – to at least emulate the three points they mustered in 2017. The atmosphere is excellent and the mix of veterans from that Netherlands tournament plus new blood should make Portugal a better side.

Judith Tuffentsammer, Switzerland reporter

It may be the opening match but the objective is clear: Switzerland need a win. In a group with 2021 Olympic silver medallists Sweden and defending European champions Netherlands, a strong start against Portugal is a must. While the pre-tournament results did not quite go their way, the team is relaxed and ready to get their Women's EURO campaign under way. It's also a special occasion for captain Lia Wälti as she will be playing her 100th match for her country, which will certainly provide some additional motivation for her team.

Form guide

Portugal
Last six games: DWWWLL (most recent first)
Last match: Portugal 1-1 Australia, 28/06
Women's EURO 2017: fourth in Group D (W1 D0 L2)

Switzerland
Last six games: LLLDLD (most recent first)
Last match: Switzerland 0-4 England, 30/06
Women's EURO 2017: third in Group C (W1 D1 L1)

View from the camps

Francisco Neto, Portugal coach: "Our aim is to perform better than we did in 2017. It was always going to be a tough start for us in this group, no matter who we were up against in the opening game. We know that Switzerland are the closest team to us in the rankings. They have players that ply their trade at top clubs across Europe and are a team that we fully respect but we know that we have our own strengths that will allow us to head into the game full of confidence, and we can compete with them. A victory would give us a massive boost and settle our nerves heading into the other group games."

Nils Nielsen, Switzerland coach: "It's incredibly important, especially in a group like ours, that the first game provides us with at least one point so we are still in the tournament. If we lose the first game, it's going to be a very difficult task to go through the group. They're going to attack us, I'm pretty sure. It's part of their game that they can stay low and attack with fewer players than many of the other teams. That's a quality, but it can also be a problem when they have to change their strategy during the game."