Group A fixtures
12/06: Wales vs Switzerland (Baku)
16/06: Italy vs Switzerland (Rome)
20/06: Switzerland vs Turkey (Baku)
Qualifying
Group D record: P8 W5 D2 L1 F19 A6
Qualifying top scorer: Cédric Itten (3)
Pedigree
UEFA EURO best: round of 16 (2016)
UEFA EURO 2016: round of 16, lost 5-4 on penalties to Poland after 1-1 draw
Coach: Vladimir Petković
Sarajevo-born, Petković has called Switzerland home since 1997 and took the national-team helm in 2014. The Swiss have not failed to reach a major finals since.
Key player: Granit Xhaka
A tough tackler with excellent vision, Xhaka is the glue that binds this Switzerland side together. The fact Switzerland surrendered a 3-0 lead against Denmark after his 79th-minute substitution to draw a March 2019 qualifier, tells you a lot.
One to watch: Breel Embolo
Forward Embolo got a fresh start at Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2019 after overcoming a spate of injuries. Powerful, versatile and blessed with great pace, the 24-year-old is a handful.
Did you know?
Switzerland have successfully negotiated every group stage under Petković but are yet to win a knockout match: at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, EURO 2016 and the UEFA Nations League.
Saturday’s encounter will be the eighth meeting between Wales and Switzerland, with the Rossocrociati dominating the head-to-head record with five wins (L2), although Wales won the most recent encounter.
Wales have been struggling since the turn of the year. After losing just once in 2020, the Dragons have already lost two of their five games this year (W2 D1).
It will be a special afternoon for the visitors, Finland, who are participating in a major footballing tournament for the first time in their history. The Huuhkajat, after all, enjoyed a terrific qualifying campaign for the Euros that saw them outclass the likes of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece & Armenia, finishing second behind Italy with six wins in ten matches.
Denmark, too, finished second in their group, behind Switzerland. They secured four wins in eight matches, missing out on the top spot only by a point, thanks to a late equaliser from Matt Doherty that saw them play a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in their final match. The Danes, nevertheless, finished the campaign ahead of Ireland, as well as Georgia and Gibraltar.
Denmark are in an exotic run of form heading into the tournament as well, securing three back to back wins in FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers
Finland in contrast, have not fared all too well, having yet to secure a single win since their 2-1 victory over Bulgaria in November. Markku Kanerva’s side lost the two pre-game friendlies to Sweden and Estonia as well, meaning they do have some work to do if they are to do well in the tournament.
50% - Aaron Ramsey was involved in half of Wales’ goals at their last major tournament appearance in EURO 2016, scoring one and assisting four of their 10 goals.
Kasper Hjulmand should be able to name his strongest team for this one, with the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Simon Kjaer, Christian Eriksen and Martin Braithwaite amongst the big names expected to start.
Teemu Pukki played 30 minutes in Finland’s last friendly match, ending fears he may miss this game due to an ankle problem, whilst captain Tim Sparv should return after sitting out that defeat to Estonia.
Denmark and Finland’s last meeting on the international stage came way back in 2011, when Niklas Bendtner’s second-half winner helped the Danes secure a 2-1 victory.
De rød-hvide also dominate the head to head record against Finland, emerging victorious in 40 occasions out of the 62 times these two teams met each other.
Denmark have been in excellent scoring form lately, netting at least two or more goals in six of their last seven matches in all competitions, including the eight goals scored against Gibraltar earlier this year.
Belgium were absolutely unstoppable on their route to the European championships as they cruised through the qualifying campaign without any hiccups. Since the resumption of football post-lockdown in 2020, the Red Devils have played 13 games in total losing just one (W9 D3), a run that has helped them reach the final stages of the UEFA Nations League while putting them in a strong position in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Despite there being two draws in their last four games against less-fancied teams like Greece and the Czech Republic, the 1-0 win over Croatia in their most recent fixture will have buoyed the team’s confidence.
Russia, meanwhile, enjoyed a straightforward run in the qualifiers as well. Drawn in the same group as Belgium, Stanislav Cherchesov’s men achieved a second-place finish, winning eight of their ten games, while losing both the contests against their Saturday’s opponents. 2020, though, was a forgettable year for the team as they failed to win six of their eight games, resulting in them staying put in League B of the UEFA Nations League.
Roberto Martinez will have to do without playmaker Kevin De Bruyne who underwent surgery following a facial fracture sustained in the Champions League final against Chelsea. Axel Witsel is ruled out by an Achilles issue while there is doubt over Eden Hazard’s fitness to feature in St Petersburg.
However, Leandro Trossard and Dedryck Boyata have recovered from knocks and could be available for the Red Devils.
For Russia, Roman Zobnin has recovered from an issue that was not specified but Fedor Kudryashov will be ruled out of the tie by a calf injury. Andrey Mostovoy has been replaced by Roman Evgeniev after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The Netherlands coach Frank de Boer says defender Matthijs de Ligt is not ready to play in the team’s opening Euro 2020 match against Ukraine on Sunday. De Ligt is recovering from a groin injury but has been training with the team in recent days.
De Boer says he expects De Ligt to be available for the next match against Austria on Thursday.
“I feel like I’m match-fit, I’m ready. I’m sharp, I’m scoring goals - I’m confident in my levels going into this.”
vs Finland 
vs Russia 
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