Both Switzerland and Germany are either likely or officially through to the next round of the Euros, with this latest fixture in Group A serving as perhaps their toughest tests so far.
The game is sure to be an exciting one with both sides looking to finish the group stage strongly, with the possibility that the Swiss can leapfrog the Germans into top spot adding an extra flavour to an already interesting fixture.
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Embolo’s time to shine?
Throughout the tournament so far, one of Nati‘s stand out players has been forward Breel Embolo, with him being a notable part of their previous two fixtures.
However, both of these performances have been as a substitute, with Murak Yakin opting not to start the striker following his recent return from a long-term injury that hampered his club season with AS Monaco in Ligue 1.
The striker’s impact when coming off of the bench cannot be understated though, with him scoring the deciding goal in his team’s 3-1 win over Hungary in matchday one, before looking like he’d scored a similarly important goal in the game against Scotland, though this was unfortunately chalked off.
These instances make a clear case for Embolo to be given the knod to play from the start against Die Mannschaft, but whether or not Yakin decides to do so thanks to the striker’s recent injury waits to be seen, though it is a safe bet that we will at the very least see Embolo make another appearance from the dugout.
Their 2-0 victory over Hungary confirmed Germany’s passage to the knockout stages following a pair of comfortable and impressive performances in the group so far, with Julian Nagelsmann having a clear and reliable core to his squad, with the likes of Jamal Musiala and Toni Kroos continuing to impress.
However, with the side already assured of progression, this has made some people ask whether or not Nagelsmann will consider giving minutes to some of the less preffered players in the German squad.
He is not short of options if he decides to go for this approach, with the likes of Maximilian Baier and Nico Schlotterbeck, examples of two players that are thought of very highly at their clubs, yet to play a minute at the tournament.
There is a clear case for this approach, with the argument being that the big names could be saved for the bigger games, reducing their chances of an injury as the tournament moves into the later rounds.
The top spot in the group is still at stake however, and with this being a factor, there is also still a every chance that Nagelsmann will go all out to ensure that Die Mannschaft finish top of the pile on their own soil, something that there fans would be very happy to achieve.
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Likely Round of 16 Opponents?
Perhaps the biggest attraction of the final round of group matches across the tournament will be seeing the tables chop and change as it becomes clear just who will play against who in the Round of 16.
The result of this game could yield one of several opponents for Germany, with victory over Switzerland assuring that they will play the runners-up of Group C, a position that can mathematically still be taken by all of the teams in the group, those being Denmark, Slovenia, Serbia and perhaps most notably, their old rivals England.
A defeat in this game would mean that the Germans would be made to settle for the runners-up spot, a position that would set up a meeting with the team that finishes second in Group B, a position that can again be taken by all four teams, though Spain’s far superior goal difference makes them occupying the spot to set up a rematch of the Euro 2008 final unlikely.
This does leave the possibility of a tie against one of Italy, Albania or Croatia, all of which come with their own challenges and could be argued as more difficult games than those if they win the group.
These same facts also apply to Nati, though their current position means that despite a large change in the goal difference of Scotland being needed, they can still finish third in the group and progress as one of the best third placed sides, something that if it were to happen, would set the Swiss up with a tie against the winner of Group B (likely to be Spain), Group F, or Group E.
All of these facts and possibilities in the group ensure that the final round of Group A matches will be one to watch, with them set to more than likely have a massive impact on the tournament’s potential winner going forward.