Switzerland will look to put their recent form behind them as they play Estonia in the first of their two Euro 2024 warm-up fixtures at the Swissporarena, in Lucerne, on Tuesday night.
The home side will complete their pre-tournament matches on June 8th, when they play Austria before beginning their Euro campaign against Hungary on June 15th.
The 19th FIFA world-ranked side will look to improve on a run that has seen them win only one of their last six games, a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland, in an international friendly in March.
A disappointing second half of their qualification campaign had put pressure on manager Murat Yakin, but the Swiss federation have shown their faith in him ahead of the upcoming tournament.
Their opponents also come into this fixture on a barren run of form. Estonia have not been victorious since January 2023 and failed to qualify for Euro 2024 after losing to Poland 5-1 in the League A: Euro 2024 Play-off, but will be using this international friendly to complete their preparations for the Baltic Cup where they will play Faroe Islands in the semi-finals on June 8th.
This international friendly will also act as the final match for manager Thomas Häberli, who made one international appearance for Switzerland in 2004, as he will be handing over the reigns to Jürgen Henn to take Estonia forward.
Switzerland have beaten the 123rd FIFA world-ranked side in all four of their previous encounters and will look to continue that trend in a match-up where they are considered heavy favourites.
Switzerland
The home side may look to give fringe players a chance before they cut their preliminary squad down to 26 ready for Euro 2024 however, given the need to enter the tournament with an upturn in form, expect Yakin to turn to many of his experienced stars.
Switzerland will be without Gregor Kobel, who featured for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final, but will be able to call upon the likes of Yann Sommer, Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji – who all come fresh off of title-winning seasons at their respective clubs.
Yakin can call also call upon Xherdan Shaqiri, who is entering the twilight of his career having been Switzerland’s go-to man at previous international tournaments.
Breel Embolo makes his return to the national side after returning from an eight-month lay-off and exciting Bologna FC winger Dan Ndoye will also feature, having contributed to a fantastic season for his club, who qualified for the Champions League.
Estonia
Estonia will likely rely on Henri Anier and Alex Matthias Tamm to lead the line.
Talented 20-year-old AS Roma midfielder Martin Vetkal will also feature in the middle of the park, where he is likely to be accompanied by Shamrock Rovers‘ Markus Poom and FC Flora’s Markus Soomets.
Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein will also be expected to feature.
Switzerland
Sommer; Widmer, Schär, Akanji, Elvedi, Ndoye; Freuler, Zakaria, Xhaka; Embolo, Okafor
Estonia
Hein; Hussar, J.Tamm, Paskotsi, Mets, Pikk; Vetkal, Poom, Soomets; Anier, Tamm
Switzerland – Breel Embolo
Whilst many will point to captain Xhaka, who has enjoyed a stellar season at Bayer Leverkusen where he was influential in helping the side win the Bundesliga, it may in fact be Embolo who will be the key man for the home side as they look to solve their goal scoring issues.
The AS Monaco striker has recently returned from an eight-month layoff after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his right knee and his return to fitness is a big boost to the home side.
This may mean that Yakin opts to show caution with the striker in the upcoming friendlies, with the striker yet to play a full 90 minutes since his return.
He ended the season playing 5 games in Ligue 1, scoring in his only start – against Clermont Foot.
Embolo has scored 13 goals in 63 appearances for his national side, and is a strong outlet forward who engages in a high amount of offensive duels.
He is comfortable at holding the ball up and strong against defenders whilst carrying the ball. He also has a burst of pace that allows him to play on the last line of defence and operate in behind.
Embolo is also not just a goal threat, but a fantastic creator, boasting a high amount of penetrative passes and 69 career assists. This will allow him to link up with the likes of Noah Okafor and Zeki Amdouni, and provide the forward spark that Switzerland have been lacking of late.
Estonia – Henri Anier
The 33-year-old striker currently plays for Hong Kong Premier League club Lee Man and has scored 17 goals in 20 matches for his club side this season.
He is currently Estonia’s record goal scorer with 22 goals in 93 matches and will need to be in top form if they are to get a result in a fixture where they are considered massive underdogs.
In a long career which has seen the veteran striker play his club football all across the globe, Anier has scored 233 goals and remains the deadliest threat for Estonia.
Where is the game being played?
The match will be played at the Swissporarena in Lucerne, Switzerland.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 19:15 BST on Tuesday 4th June 2024.
How can I watch?
Unfortunately, the game is not being televised in the United Kingdom.