Sports Mole provides an insight into the friendly match between Switzerland and Austria set to take place, along with predictions, team news, and potential lineups.
Switzerland and Austria will wrap up their preparations for Euro 2024 with a friendly face-off at St Gallen on Saturday evening.
Both squads are entering the game in good spirits and will aim to build on their recent performance streaks before heading to Germany.
Match Preview
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Switzerland went through a slump in 2023 under Murat Yakin, securing just one win in their last seven matches against Andorra.
Despite surprising draws against Belarus and Kosovo, they managed to secure a spot at Euro 2024 through their performances at the start of the qualifying phase.
This year, Switzerland has shown significant improvement with noteworthy results, including a goalless draw in Denmark and a hard-fought 1-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Yakin’s squad recently displayed their strength with a convincing 4-0 win over Estonia, marking the first time they scored four goals since March 2023.
With a crucial Euro 2024 group-stage match against Germany looming, Yakin will be looking for a solid performance in this friendly to kickstart their campaign against Hungary.
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Among the mid-tier teams at Euro 2024, Austria has been gaining momentum as they prepare to make an impact.
Ralf Rangnick‘s squad has won 12 of their last 15 matches, including victories over Germany, Turkey, and Serbia.
Despite facing significant injuries, Austria managed a 2-1 win against Serbia in their recent friendly, boosting Rangnick’s confidence.
Once this friendly is over, Austria will be gearing up to face France in their opening Euro 2024 match. Avoiding only their second defeat since November 2022 is their immediate focus.
The last direct encounter between these two teams was a friendly in 2015, with Switzerland emerging victorious with a 2-1 scoreline in Vienna.
Switzerland recent form (all competitions):
Austria recent form (all competitions):
Team News
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Zeki Amdouni will be looking to earn a spot in the Swiss XI after scoring as a substitute against Estonia.
In defense, Leonidas Stergiou and Cedric Zesiger may feature due to Manuel Akanji‘s busy schedule with Manchester City and Fabian Schar‘s return from injury.
On the other hand, Austria will miss Florian Grillitsch due to a head injury sustained in a previous match. Konrad Laimer is expected to replace him, while other players like Philipp Lienhart, Stefan Lainer, Andreas Weimann, and Michael Gregoritsch will be vying for spots in the starting lineup.
Switzerland probable starting lineup:
Mvogo; Stergiou, Zesiger, Elvedi; Mbabu, Xhaka, Freuler, Ndoye; Vargas, Amdouni, Zuber
Austria probable starting lineup:
Pentz; Lainer, Lienhart, Wober, Prass; Seiwald, Laimer; Wimmer, Weimann, Schmid; Gregoritsch
Our Prediction: Switzerland 1-1 Austria
While we anticipate a closely contested match, both teams may exercise caution given the stage of their preparations. Hence, we foresee a low-scoring draw.
For detailed data analysis on likely outcomes and scorelines for this game click here.
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