There is an exciting clash on matchday 6 of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League when Switzerland travels to Spain with the hosts looking to advance to the next round as group winners. \
This League A Group 4 encounter will have consequences at both ends of the table as Switzerland occupies the bottom spot at the time of writing.
Defending Nations League champions Spain have won two of the last three Nations League matches against Switzerland, with the reverse fixture ending in a 4-1 victory thanks to goals from Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Joselu. Despite going down to ten men in that encounter, they will be confident given the manner of their most recent win against the Swiss.
La Roja were the best team at EURO 2024 and they deservedly lifted the trophy in Germany, with lots of credit due to Luis De La Fuente. The former Spain U21 boss has transformed the fortunes of the senior team since taking over a young squad that now looks ready to compete for several years to come.
Pertinently, Spain followed up that triumph with the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic games to prove that they can sustain success on the international stage, just like their golden generation did between 2008 to 2012.
Similar to previous winning teams, Spain’s possession-based football is seeing them edge opponents, with added firepower from mercurial wide players. It will be interesting to see how this group of young players evolve during their defence of the Nations League title.
At the Euros, their ability to take the game to opponents made them a fearless outfit as they got the better of England, France, and Germany on their way to being crowned champions of Europe.
Spain has lost just one of their last 23 matches and should thus be able to defeat the Swiss here. Although they were held to a goalless draw by Serbia in their Nations League opener, the campaign has been relatively incident-free with three wins and as many clean sheets from four matches so far.
They must now consolidate their place in the quarterfinal by confirming top spot in the final two games against Denmark and Switzerland.
On the other hand, Murat Yakin’s side enjoyed major success at Euro 2024 as they finished second in their group with five points. Having defeated defending champions Italy in the Round of 16, much was expected of Switzerland in their second-ever Last Eight appearance.
However, a penalty shootout defeat to England saw their journey come to an end after being on the verge of advancing until Bukayo Saka’s late equaliser.
Their post-tournament form has been shambolic with three opening defeats consisting of eight goals conceded and only one scored, before their 2-2 draw against Denmark last time out. The Red Crosses now have a chance to either go down with a fight or simply succumb to superior opposition as they face relegation.
Crucially, the Swiss were drawn in Spain’s Nations League group in the last edition, finishing just two points behind the Reds and they will be playing for pride. Yakin’s team also won on their last visit to Spain for a Nations League encounter and they will be confident of causing another upset against the clear favourites.
Match tickets
This UEFA Nations League fixture takes place on Monday, 18 November 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 7:45 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the UEFA website and the official channels of each national team’s association, it is important to make your reservations early to be considered.
Proud home fans will be converging at Estadio de Tenerife to take in this encounter, and a capacity crowd of around 22,000 is expected. Most in the stands will be cheering for a Spain victory and it is important for travelling supporters to also make their presence felt.
We urge interested persons to check for Spain vs Croatia tickets on a resale site, where you can also find more Spain national team match tickets.
Team news
Fabian Ruiz is becoming something of a clinical outlet for Spain with five of his six international goals coming in 2024. He will look to close out a fantastic calendar year in international colours on a high, but Unai Simon and Ferran Torres are out for the November window while
Dani Carvajal and Rodri are both out for the rest of the season due to ACL injuries.
Michel Aebischer, Nico Elvedi and Gregor Kobel are injury doubts for Switzerland at the time of writing, and the likes of Becir Omegaric, Leonidas Stergiou and Ruben Vargas are surely ruled out.
Line-ups
Dani Olmo has registered six goals and two assists in his last 11 caps for Spain who will be pleased to welcome him back to the fold following an injury spell. Ahead of him, Mikel Oyarzabal will be central to Spain’s attacking plans having scored the winner in the Euro 2024 final against England.
David Raya should continue between the sticks while Pedro Porro is likely to replace Carvajal at right-back and offer attacking impetus behind the exceptional Lamine Yamal.
Spain: Raya; Porro, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Zubimendi, Ruiz, Olmo; Williams, Yamal, Oyarzabal
Breel Embolo has scored 15 times for the A-Team and he is set to feature in the final third of the field, while Fabian Rieder and Ruben Vargas are also expected to support him in advanced areas.
Switzerland: Sommer, Rodriguez, Akanji, Schar; Widmer, Xhaka, Freuler, Ndoye; Rieder, Vargas, Embolo
Prediction
Both teams are likely to score in this one given the familiarity between the sides as Spain have conceded in their last four matches against Switzerland. While the hosts should come out on top, the Swiss have the quality to cause them problems and this has all of the makings of a very interesting match.
La Roja are unbeaten in a competitive fixture since March 2023 and that will probably continue for the rest of their Nations League campaign. They are operating at a superior level to other national teams in the world right now.
Spain 3-1 Switzerland