Match previews

TWO nations are on the verge of being knocked out of Euro 2020 as Switzerland face Turkey in Group A.Both teams need a win to stand any chance of qualifying for the last 16, so we should be in for an enthralling game in Baku.
Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri and Turkey forward Burak YilmazCredit: AFP
Turkey haven’t managed to get out of the group at the Euros since they reached the semi-finals in 2008 – and they’ll be desperate to end that run on ITV at 5pm this Sunday.

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What’s the form?
Switzerland finished top of their qualifying group for the tournament, winning five of their eight games.
But that will feel like a long time ago for manager Vladimir Petkovic after a difficult start to Euro 2020.
The Swiss failed to beat Wales in their tournament opener – drawing 1-1 in Baku – before Italy hammered them 3-0 in Rome.
But a victory against Turkey will all but see them through to the next round as group runners-up or one of the best third-place teams.

And there’s a good chance of that happening as Turkey have been woeful so far.
Senol Gunes’ team were outclassed in their tournament opener against Italy – losing 3-0 – before Wales edged them 2-0 in Baku.
But a win for Turkey will see them finish third in the group and give them a chance of reaching the last 16.
They’ve proven they can play at this level before, winning seven of their ten tournament qualifiers.
“I spoke to the team and told them there’s a match left, and three points could get us to the next round.”Vladimir Petkovic, Switzerland manager

Who’s in and who’s out?
Both Switzerland and Turkey have a full squad to choose from for this crucial game.
But there are a handful of players who will miss the next match if they’re booked, including Swiss stars Breel Embolo and Fabian Schar and Turkish talent Caglar Soyuncu and Hakan Calhanoglu.
Petkovic is unlikely to make changes to his team for the game – but Gunes is expected to rotate his squad after their defeat to Wales.
“This is a young team. They haven’t experienced a tournament like this before. I know expectations were high, but this team created those expectations with their good performances.”Senol Gunes, Turkey manager

Watch out for…
Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka.
The Swiss captain has been linked with a move to Jose Mourinho’s Roma this summer.
The 28-year-old has not had a great tournament so far and will be desperate to make an impression on the international stage.

If the game’s rubbish…
Check out Xhaka’s wife Leonita, who was left stunned on FaceTime after the midfielder bleached his locks.
She was speechless as her face dropped when she instantly realised what he had done.
Granit Xhaka is married to LeonitaCredit: Getty – Contributor
Leonita supported Xhaka at Euro 2016 an will be backing him again – regardless of his new lookCredit: Reuters
Fancy a punt?
Get all your Euro 2020 ante-post tips with our tournament betting guide HERE.
Match odds

Switzerland to win 2-0 10/1 @ Betfair
Turkey to win 1-0 12/1 @ Paddy Power
Xherdan Shaqiri to score anytime 3/1 @ William Hill

*All odds correct at time of publication
Moment Arsenal star Granit Xhaka shows drastic new blonde hair to wife Leonita leaving her stunned More

IT’S been a long five years since Wales’ heroics at Euro 2016, overcoming Belgium to reach the semi-finals.But it won’t be easy for the Dragons this time out, who face an in-form Italy side.
Wales will be hoping captain Gareth Bale can lead them to the last 16Credit: Getty
This clash is taking place in Rome, with kick-off set at 5pm and you can watch all the action from ITV1.

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What’s the form?
Wales’ 2-0 win over Turkey means they are all but sure to qualify from Group A.
Robert Page’s side has been impressive, with only two defeats in their last 19 games – against world champions France and world No1 ranked side Belgium.
This will be only the 10th time these two sides have met – their last being being in 2003 and a comfortable 4-0 victory for Italy.
Italy’s form on the other hand has been impeccable, and the Azzuri have not tasted defeat since 2018.
Roberto Mancini’s side come off the back of two straight 3-0 wins over Turkey and Switzerland in Group A, progressing through to the last 16.

Who’s in and who’s out?
Roberto Mancini is likely to make changes from his starting XI as he has the chance to rotate.
Italy’s ageing back-two of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci – who have a combined age of 70 – will need a rest for sure
Chiellini went off after a suspected hamstring injury against the Swiss.
Mancini coudl recall midfield lynchpin Marco Verratti, who may feature after finally overcoming a troublesome knee injury. 
Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale have been at the forefront of this Wales side so far, combining brilliantly last Wednesday and will need to turn on the heat against Italy.
Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson, introduced from the bench against Turkey, are two players pushing for recalls to the starting line-up.
Robert Page’s side played a back three in Wales’ qualifying games before reverting to a back four against Switzerland and Turkey so it will be interesting to see what tactic he employs
“I couldn’t be more proud. When you have quality like Dan James, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, you are always going to cause teams problems. What Gareth really showed was character, everyone makes mistakes, but he got on with it and was man of the match.”Robert Page, Wales

Who to watch out for
Bale is the key man for Wales.
If he turns up and is on top of his game, the Welsh have a chance of pulling off a major upset.
If however he struggles to impose himself on the game, the Italians will almost certainly dominate.
If the game’s rubbish…
If you didn’t think age was just a number then check out Italy boss Roberto Mancini’s stunning wife Silvia Fortini – the 55-year-old has played an absolute blinder here.
The pair wed in the summer of 2018 after the former Manchester City boss split with his ex-wife Federica in 2016.
Mancini’s wife Silvia
Bale’s wife Emma cheered him on at Euro 2016 and wil be hoping he can go even further this timeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Aaron Ramsey iwill have wife Colleen supporting himCredit: Getty – Contributor

Fancy a punt?
Get all your Euro 2020 ante-post tips with our tournament betting guide HERE.
Match odds

Italy to win 2/5
The draw 10/3
Wales win 7/1

To win Euro 2020 outright

Italy 7/1
Wales 125/1

*All odds correct at time of publication
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SPAIN will be looking to overturn a poor showing against Sweden when they face Poland on Saturday.La Roja failed to convert their 85 per cent possession into goals in their Group E opener as it finished goalless between the two sides.
Spain have been training hard after they slipped to a 0-0 draw against Sweden despite having 85 per cent of the ballCredit: Reuters
Poland lost their tournament opener against Slovakia but will hope to bounce back against SpainCredit: EPA
Poland will also be looking for an improved performance after suffering defeat to Slovakia in their opener.
You can catch all the action from the Estadio De La Cartuja at 8pm on BBC One.
What’s the form?
Despite their previous showing, this Spanish team is littered with individual talent, and on paper, are good enough to get out of this group comfortably.
That being said Spain are nowhere near as strong as they were when they won the tournament in 2008 and 2012 – either side of winning the World Cup.
Spain do hold a 100 per cent record against the Poles though – winning all three of their previous meetings – and they will be expecting to win this tie.
Poland were one of the most impressive teams during qualifying and came into this tournament with a swagger after topping their group and losing all but one game.
It wasn’t Robert Lewandowski’s day against Slovakia, however after a successful season with Bayern Munich where he broke Gerd Muller’s record of 40 goals in a single season – the 32-year-old will be hungry for goals.
Lewandowski said: “It’s a shame we weren’t able to at least get a draw.”
“We weren’t good enough in defence to create clear situations that could pave the way to goal for us and these types of errors are not forgiven at the European Championship.”

Who’s in and who’s out?
The big news from Luis Enrique last week was that for the first time ever, there were no Real Madrid players included in his squad for a major tournament – although they still have a plethora of talent at their disposal.
Aymeric Laporte started for Spain in their group E opener after switching allegiances from France and proved rather handy in place of the left-out Sergio Ramos.
It will be interesting to see if Enrique opts to employ a more ‘direct’ line-up and formation against Poland after leaving the likes of Thiago and Gerard Moreno on the bench against Sweden.
For Poland, you can expect hero Lewandowski to start amongst Mateusz Klich and Southampton star Jan Bednarek.
Grzegorz Krychowiak however did get sent off against Slovakia, so he won’t be available for this one.

Who to watch out for…
Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno didn’t start against Sweden but when he came on he had a couple of great chances to score.
The 29-year-old offered far more up-top than the lacklustre Alvaro Morata, who looked extremely low on confidence and missed a golden opportunity.
The forward had a blinder of a season over in Spain, racking up 23 goals and seven assists – also playing a key tenet in manager Unai Emery’s Europa League success this season.
If the game is rubbish…
Then check out record-breaker Robert Lewandowski’s wife Anna Lewandowska.
The stunner, 32, is a health and fitness whizz and a big international star in the world of karate – having won 29 medals and represented her country in various World Championships.

Fancy a punt?
Get all your Euro 2020 ante-post tips with our tournament betting guide HERE.
Match odds

Spain to win 1/3
The draw 15/4
Poland to win 8/1

To win Euro 2020 outright

Spain 15/2
Poland 200/1 More

PORTUGAL take on Germany in group F in what promises to be one of the games of the tournament.Both sides were relatively flat in their openers, although Portugal did have a thumping final ten minutes to beat Hungary 3-0.
Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to replicate his Hungary heroics against GermanyCredit: EPA
Germany know they must bounce back following their 1-0 defeat against FranceCredit: Getty
Germany showed glimpses of what they were made of as they hosted France, but they didn’t offer too much in the final third and lost 1-0.
This one though has all the ingredients to be a stand-out encounter in the Group of Death and you can catch the kick off at 5pm on ITV from the Allianz Arena in Munich.
What’s the form?
European champions Portugal are now unbeaten in their last seven international fixtures.
Their last defeat came at the hands of the French back in November of last year.
As for Germany, Die Mannschaft’s showing at the 2018 World Cup was a huge disappointment, with them sent packing after finishing rock bottom of their group.
Question marks were raised over Joachim Low’s competence as Germany boss in the run up to the Euros – which included a loss to North Macedonia just before the tournament.
However they did show some signs of threat against France, despite losing 1-0.
The most important thing was the win. It was a difficult match against an opponent that defended well, but we managed to score three goals. I am very grateful to the squad that helped me score two goals, and win Player of the Game.”
“It was fundamental to start on the right foot, to gain confidence. Now, we need to continue this. The next match [vs Germany] is to winCristiano Ronaldo, Portugal

Who’s in and who’s out?
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to lead the line after scoring a brace against Hungary.
Premier League trio Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva all started in their tournament opener and are also expected to tart.
There are no injury or suspension concerns for either side.
For Germany, Champions League-winning trio Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Antonio Rudiger all featured against France.
We have yet to see German wonderkid Jamal Musiala, who was called up but failed to feature in Löw’s squad against France.

Who to watch out for
Antonio Ruediger’s and his weird looking face mask.
The German and Chelsea defender confirmed he will continue to wear a mask throughout Euro 2020 after sustaining a facial injury during the latter stages of last season.
Rudiger started Germany’s opening Euro 2020 match alongside Mats Hummels and Mattias Ginter in a back-three.
And who knows, maybe it will be the lucky charm Germany need to clinch a result.
Tomorrow we have to work on a few things. Then we look ahead. Now we’ve lost, but anything is still possible, we still have two games and we can straighten everything out.”Joachim Low, Germany

If the game’s rubbish…
Then look no further than Cristiano Ronaldo’s wag, Georgina Rodriguez.
The pair have been together for almost five years after meeting in a Gucci store, where she worked as a shop assistant.

Fancy a punt?
Get all your Euro 2020 ante-post tips with our tournament betting guide HERE.
Match odds

Portugal to win 21/10
The draw 23/10
Germany to win 13/10

To win Euro 2020 outright

Portugal 13/2
Germany 11/1

*All odds from Paddy Power and correct at time of publication. More