-England and Switzerland meet each other in the quarter-final of the European Championships, in what will be the first encounter between the two sides since they met in a friendly at Wembley in March 2022.
Gareth Southgate named a side which consisted of plenty of changes, as goals from Luke Shaw and Harry Kane cancelled out Breel Embolo’s opener, as the Three Lions secured a narrow victory in front of 78,000 at the national stadium.
A back three is set to be the preferred formation picked by Southgate when the two sides meet in Dusseldorf tomorrow, and he opted for that exact formation when the two sides last faced off.
Starting XI:
Jordan Pickford
Club at time: Everton
Club now: Everton
Pickford recently broke the record for the most clean sheets kept by an England goalkeeper at a major international tournament, surpassing the legendary Peter Shilton.
He is still firmly Gareth Southgate’s number one, as he was when these two nations last faced off.
Ben White
Club at time: Arsenal
Club now: Arsenal
The win against the Swiss at Wembley was Ben White’s third England cap.
He was part of the squad that was selected for the 2020 European Championship and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he left the base camp in Qatar early due to a disagreement with assistant manager Steve Holland, and hasn’t been selected in a squad since – despite having a stellar two years at Arsenal playing right back.
Conor Coady
Club at time: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Club now: Leicester City
Coady last played a full ninety minutes in an England shirt during the victory at home to Switzerland just over two years ago.
Since then, he has moved on from Molineux, joining Everton, whom he left last summer after just one year on Merseyside. Last summer, Coady made the switch to the East Midlands, signing for Leicester City where he won promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, as league winners.
Marc Guehi
Club at time: Crystal Palace
Club now: Crystal Palace
Centre-back Marc Guehi made his England debut in the slim victory over Switzerland, and he has certainly not looked back since.
His impressive performances with The Eagles has earned him a place in the Euro 2024 squad, where he has taken the competition by storm and potentially nailed down a starting place for many years, although he will miss the quarter-final clash with Switzerland due to suspension via yellow card accumulation.
Kyle Walker-Peters
Club at time: Southampton
Club now: Southampton
Kyle Walker-Peters’ first cap and only start in a Three Lions shirt.
The Edmonton-born full-back hasn’t featured in a squad since that international break in March 2022, but has attracted interest from numerous Premier League clubs, after starring as Southampton won promotion back to the Premier League in the 2023/24 season.
Jordan Henderson
Club at time: Liverpool
Club now: AFC Ajax
Jordan Henderson has had a turbulent career since England emerged as winners against Switzerland in the friendly, which was now a little over two years ago.
He left Liverpool in the summer of 2023, after captaining them to Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup victories. He joined Al-Etiffaq, but called time on his career in Saudi Arabia after six months, joining Dutch giants Ajax.
Conor Gallagher
Club at time: Crystal Palace (on loan from Chelsea)
Club now: Chelsea
Conor Gallagher has continued to strive since his loan move to Selhurst Park, where his exciting performances caught the eye of Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland, earning him his second ever England cap against Switzerland in 2022.
Fast forward just over 26 months, Gallagher is a prominent feature in all squads, and has even started in an earlier game during the tournament, albeit he was hooked off at half time against Slovenia. The midfielder is also vice-captain at his boyhood club.
Luke Shaw
Club at time: Manchester United
Club now: Manchester United
Luke Shaw is yet to feature in Euro 2024 due to injury, but his first minutes of the competition could come on Saturday, and he did score England’s opener against Switzerland when the two nations last met at Wembley Stadium.
The left-back remains at Manchester United, although his appearances in the past season under Erik Ten Hag have been limited due to major fitness struggles.
Mason Mount
Club at time: Chelsea
Club now: Manchester United
Mason Mount has seen his career deteriorate in recent years, considering he was one of the first names on Gareth Southgate‘s team sheet when England last faced Saturday’s opposition.
The attacking midfielder left his boyhood side, joining Manchester United in a £50m deal, but he has struggled to make an influence in the north as of yet, mainly suffering injury problems in his first season at Old Trafford. Mount has not featured for England since his cameo in the quarter-final of the Qatar World Cup.
Phil Foden
Club at time: Manchester City
Club now: Manchester City
Phil Foden, who was already a superstar, has taken his game to a completely new level since the win over England’s upcoming opposition.
He won the PFA and Premier League Player of the Season award for the 2023/24 season, as he fired Manchester City to a historical fourth Premier League title in a row. Foden registered nineteen goals and eight assists, and will start in Dusseldorf just behind Harry Kane, like he did last time out against Rossocrociati.
Harry Kane
Club at time: Tottenham Hotspur
Club now: Bayern Munich
Harry Kane continues to lead the line and captain England.
Since the last meeting with Switzerland, he has broken Wayne Rooney’s record, and now stands as England’s all-time leading goalscorer. His untouchable performances earned him a move to Bayern Munich in August 2023, where he continues to smash records for fun!
Raheem Sterling
Club at time: Manchester City
Club now: Chelsea
Raheem Sterling has fallen from his almighty perch which he proudly stood aloft at Manchester City, whilst he was in the form of his life with the England national team as well, when they last faced Switzerland.
A disappointing start to the 2022/23 campaign saw him used from the bench in the Qatar World Cup, and failure to improve in the second half of the term saw him move to Chelsea the following season. His last appearance under Southgate’s guidance came in the quarter-final against France.
Tyrick Mitchell
Club at time: Crystal Palace
Club now: Crystal Palace
Tyrick Mitchell’s England debut came from the bench, and he has only featured once since that narrow 2-1 victory under the Wembley arch.
A resurgence under Oliver Glasner in recent months means that the Palace defender will feel pretty hard done by not to make the Euro 2024 squad, especially with just one out and out left back being taken – and he’s injured.
Ollie Watkins
Club at time: Aston Villa
Club now: Aston Villa
Ollie Watkins is still yet to establish himself as a regular starter for England, but that is purely down to the fact that he has the worlds best striker standing in his way.
On the club stage, he is finally showing the country just what he can do in both domestic and continental competitions at Aston Villa, where he is managed by an elite tactician in Unai Emery. In 2023/24, the former Brentford attacker hit the back of the net on 27 occasions in all competitions, and he’ll most definitely be ready from the bench if needed on Saturday, just like he was 26 months ago.
Jack Grealish
Cub at time: Manchester City
Club now: Manchester City
Jack Grealish remains at Manchester City, but injury struggles have kept him out of both Pep Guardiola and Gareth Southgate‘s plans throughout the previous two years.
The former Villa man, who once had to chose between England and the Republic of Ireland, was not selected for Euro 2024, although he did feature from the substitutes bench when England last faced Saturday night’s opponent.
Jude Bellingham
Club at time: Borussia Dortmund
Club now: Real Madrid
Jude Bellingham was just eighteen when England last faced Switzerland – he came on from the bench on that evening in Wembley, but now he is one of the first names filled in by Gareth Southgate when he writes his team sheet.
After stunning the world as he took the Bundesliga by storm, the former Birmingham City youngster earned himself a stunning move to Real Madrid, where he won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in his first season, and will be in contention for the prestigious Ballon D’Or award.
Declan Rice
Club at time: West Ham
Club now: Arsenal
Declan Rice made the switch across London to join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, in the time since England last faced Switzerland in what feels like an eternity ago.
Despite coming on as a substitute against the Swiss that night, Rice was – and still is – one of the most crucial players in the squad, and Gareth Southgate can count himself lucky that he’ll have Rice in from the start when the nations face off in Dusseldorf, for the 27th time, on Saturday.