Switzerland vs England Predictions

With just two matches between them and an inaugural UEFA Nations League crown, both Switzerland and England will have fancied their chances when travelling to Portugal earlier this week. However, semi-final defeats to Portugal and Netherlands respectively leave them gearing up to play that most hated of fixtures – A 3rd place playoff.

Both teams can take some positives from their semi-final defeats though. Switzerland were actually the better side against Portugal for the most part, but it ultimately boiled down to a lack of individual star quality. Cristiano Ronaldo netted a hat-trick to drag his underperforming nation through, leaving Xherdan Shaqiri and company wondering how they managed to lose the game.

For England, it was less a case of individual brilliance and more to do with schoolboy errors. They held their own against a talented Netherlands squad throughout, trading blows in a compelling game. Going forward they looked very dangerous, but the other end of the pitch was another story.

They were regularly exposed from set pieces throughout the game, a problem area that Matthijs de Ligt eventually took advantage of. Extra time loomed, and The Three Lions started to fall apart. A terrible error from John Stones gifted the Dutch a goal in the 97th minute, just moments after Jesse Lingard’s goal was ruled out for offside by VAR. Another piece of calamitous defending put it on a plate six minutes from time, with the result being a 3-1 loss for England’s hopefuls.

This ineffectiveness at the back does mean that we could be in for an entertaining match on Sunday. Neither team will be cagey in a tie that is essentially a friendly, and Xherdan Shaqiri has the ability to really punish England’s back line.

At the other end, England’s attacking force isn’t to be taken lightly. They have supreme talent in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Harry Kane, and the former three of these players looked very dangerous on Thursday.

Both Switzerland and England have seen at least three goals scored in six of their nine matches since the World Cup ended last summer. England’s five Nations League matches have had a total of 15 goals scored, while Switzerland’s outings in the competition have averaged a huge 4.6 goals per game. We think backing Over 2.5 Goals on Sunday is the best option, along with a 2-1 win for England.