ITALY will kickstart the knockout stages of Euro 2024 as they take on Switzerland at the Olympiastadion in Berlin TODAY!
The Azzurri scrapped through the group stages with a last-gasp equaliser against Croatia.
Mattia Zaccagni’s late goal broke the hearts of Croatia who looked set to make it to the later stages after Luka Modric‘s opener.
The point helped Luciano Spalletti’s side finish second in Group B, five points behind Spain.
Italy started the Euros with a 2-1 win over Albania before they were outclassed by Spain 3-0.
The current holder’s inconsistent form does not reflect their achievement in Euro 2020 at the same stage.
They had won all of their group games on their course to winning the title at Wembley by beating England on penalties.
Switzerland impressed during the group stages as they went unbeaten to seal second place behind host nation Germany.
Murat Yakin’s side beat Hungary in their first game before picking up 1-1 draws against Scotland and Germany.
Former Nottingham Forest flop Remo Freuler has also shone at the tournament with two assists in his three appearances.
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The Swiss almost signed off the group stages with a stunning victory over Germany.
Dan Ndoye gave his side a shock lead in the first half before Die Mannschaft striker Niclas Fullkrug scored in the 92nd minute.
Italy will face Switzerland on Saturday in the first round of 16 fixture of the tournament.
They faced each other in Euro 2020, with the Italians running out 3-0 winners.
Switzerland could be boosted by handing Breel Embolo his second start of the tournament.
The striker made his first start after injury against Germany.
However, they will be without Silvan Widmer, who picked up a suspension.
Italy will be without Ricardo Calafiori. The defender is suspended after his yellow card against Croatia.
This could see Gianluca Mancini be handed a starting place by Spalletti.
Following the draw against Croatia, Luciano Spalletti said: “There’s no denying it, we were below our usual level in the first half,’ he said.
“If we don’t create very much, we’re not going to score very much. You can see we were thinking about bringing a result home, without really believing that we needed a win.
“It was involuntary, but I expect more from my players, because they show it in flashes.
“They do have the quality, but at times we make really banal errors. We have better capabilities than what we saw today.
“Jorginho played well today, so did [Nicolo] Barella, [Riccardo] Calafiori is a top player who knows how to do everything. We have ways of playing out from the back, but we’ve got to do better.”
Swiss coach Murat Yakin said: “Italy have some great players, so it will be a big challenge.
“We’re staying focused on ourselves, but also need to make sure we’re prepared for the strengths and weaknesses that Italy have.
“What makes them dangerous is that they can play in a number of different ways.
“But, they will also be worried about us. We’re in good form, are unpredictable and will try to come out on top of this game.”
Italy 2 Switzerland 1
Match result
*Odds courtesy of William Hill and are correct at the time of publication.
