Euro 2024: Switzerland boss Murat Yakin expecting ‘open game’ with England, admits Three Lions have ‘had problems’ – Eurosport

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin has pinpointed where England “have had problems” at Euro 2024 ahead of their quarter-final clash with the Three Lions.

Gareth Southgate’s men came mightily close to elimination in their last-16 tie against Slovakia on Sunday, saved by Jude Bellingham’s emphatic 95th-minute bicycle kick to cancel out Ivan Schranz’s earlier opener.

The match ended 1-1 after normal time – England’s third straight draw in 90 minutes at the tournament – before Harry Kane came to Southgate’s rescue to head home a winner in the first minute of extra-time.

Speaking ahead of the game, Yakin discussed England’s struggles so far in Germany.

“Which team is the favourite? When you see England’s squad and my squad, their value is bigger than ours,” the Swiss boss said. 

“Let’s play the game. It’s an open game. We are in a good situation. We play well and got good results and good spirits in the team. 

“Of course, they [England] have had problems in games when the rival played defensively. It’s not easy to play against a team that has a big block in defence. 

“And now maybe for us, it’s a good situation when you have an opponent that wants to play football. It’s an open game.

“We know the strong and the weak sides of England. We have three days to prepare for this game. We are ready to show our best side against England. We just focus only on my team.”

Switzerland finished second in Group A after they beat Hungary and drew with Scotland and Germany.

Their standout performance came against the Italians in the first knockout round as Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas found the target in a comfortable 2-0 win.

There is clearly no doubt in Yakin’s mind that Switzerland can get the job done against England as they look to reach the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

“We played against Germany and we were good. We played against Italy, also a big team. So, why not beat England now? 

“In a good mood. Let’s see. It’s a good challenge and my team is ready to have this big fight against big England.”

On Southgate, Yakin added: “All these meetings [with England] we’ve had in the past. I had a good conversation with Gareth. We are on the same level, so we understand each other. 

“Of course, when you have big players you can choose from many players, and you’ve left home some good players and you don’t get good results, then you have these problems in the UK. 

“But it’s not my part to explain the situation of England and their coach.”

Real Madrid star Bellingham opened England’s Euros account in the first match against Serbia with a thumping header and scored the Three Lions’ crucial equaliser to keep them alive against Slovenia.

After a magnificent debut season in Spain where he scored 23 goals from midfield, the Switzerland boss is well aware of the threat the 21-year-old poses.

“When you see Bellingham and the expectation from this guy who’s just won the Champions League. We must focus on each player because they can make the difference in a big tournament, in the quarter-finals,” Yakin said.

“But in the end, we are in a good situation. How we play football. And it’s my job to just focus on my strategy and how are we going to play this game.”

England and Switzerland lock horns at 5pm UK time in Dusseldorf on Saturday, July 6, for a place in the semi-finals.