Key events
One important question is on Germany supporters’ minds: Can Antonio Rudiger play tonight? He had a hamstring issue but he did return to training on Friday. Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann was asked about it at his press conference: “He’s very important. Our medical staff have been trying everything this week to get him fit again, and in training he looked good.
“We’ll see what happens overnight in terms of muscle issues. We have to wait and see what will happen, but at the moment he looks like being fit again so we’re happy to have him back. If nothing special happens (overnight) he could play.”
Jonathan Liew
First, the insects. There has been an infestation of mosquitoes at Germany’s training camp in Herzogenaurach in Bavaria, one that has claimed numerous victims, with a fortnight of humid weather rendering the squad’s outdoor viewing garden – which sits right next to a forest – almost unusable in the evenings. “I have already been bitten two or three times,” the striker Maximilian Beier admitted. “But if that’s the biggest problem, then fine …”
Then, the thunder. The DWD, Germany’s equivalent of the Met Office, is warning of severe thunderstorms, torrential rain, large hailstones, hurricane-force winds and perhaps even tornadoes across the west of the country on Saturday: perfectly timed to coincide with the crunch last-16 clash against Denmark in Dortmund.
If Germany’s Euro 2024 campaign is beginning to take the appearance of a biblical ordeal, then rest assured: there are still plenty of potential plagues to come.
Read the full piece here:
Jonathan Wilson
Germany Denmark analysis: Imperious against Scotland and good enough against Hungary, Germany misfired sufficiently in their draw with Switzerland to cast doubt on the sustainability of their improvement under Julian Nagelsmann. Were they actually that good against Scotland, or were Scotland just terrible? The link-up between Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz has been effective, but there are doubts as to whether they’re best served with Kai Havertz dropping off or the more robust talents of Niclas Füllkrug at centre-forward.
Are Denmark good enough to trouble them? Probably not – although that’s what people thought before the final of Euro 92 which Denmark won 2-0. They flickered against Slovenia and England but are very reliant on Christian Eriksen for creativity. Well as he played in the opening game, the Manchester United midfielder struggles to last a full 90 minutes. But Denmark are solid enough, so if Germany aren’t quite at their sharpest, they could make life difficult.
Verdict Solid Germany win
Jonathan Wilson
Switzerland v Italy analysis: Italy are unbeaten against Switzerland in 11 games stretching back to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup but they look vulnerable here. They were worryingly open against both Albania and Spain and the switch to a back three against Croatia only seemed to make them flatter going forward. In goal Gianluigi Donnarumma has had a fine tournament, but a lack of creativity and the absence of a top-class centre-forward are major issues.
For all the pre-tournament talk that they might be over the hill, Switzerland, by contrast, have been incisive and inventive, with their coach Murat Yakin having a clearly defined and different plan for each game. Breel Embolo is now fit enough to start and his hold-up play, supplemented by the pace of Dan Ndoye going beyond him, represents a major threat. The one caveat is that they were less effective when Scotland sat deep against them – which may offer Italy a game plan.
Verdict Narrow Switzerland win
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to today’s Euros news blog. We have been without European tournament football for three days and withdrawal symptoms have started to kick in but thankfully we will all get a football boost today with the start of the last 16.
The knockout rounds begin with Switzerland v defending champions Italy. Switzerland have had a good tournament so far, finishing second in their group behind hosts Germany. They take on Italy who have not shown their best yet but have displayed glimpses, particularly in the build-up to and the finish of Mattia Zaccagni’s equaliser against Croatia.
The fixtures don’t stop after Switzerland v Italy with Germany v Denmark. Hosts Germany have been one of the teams to show what they can do, especially with their 5-1 drubbing of Scotland in the opening game of the tournament. Denmark, meanwhile, have not been as imposing but they are not a team to under-estimate.
We will be previewing both matches more throughout the day, as well as bringing you any breaking news from around the rest of the Euros. Let’s get started.