England v Switzerland Early Tips: Find 6/1, 8/1 & 10/11 tips for quarter-final clash

• Low-scoring affair in Dusseldorf

• Three Lions fancied in extra time

• Vargas to trouble struggling Walker

• Use Betfair's Safer Gambling Tools at Euro 2024

• Champions Full Gallop - coming soon to ITV

England v Switzerland SuperBoost

You can now back Granit Xhaka to commit 1 or more fouls v England at 1/12.00 - Superboosted up from 1/41.25!

The former Arsenal man has comitted six in four games so far at Euro 2024, and is no stranger to the referee as we know from his time in the Premier League.

England (60) have won the most fouls of any side at Euro 2024 (15 per game on average), with both Jude Bellingham (9) and Harry Kane (8) sitting in the top 10 of the most fouls won chart. Indeed, only three players (all 10) have managed more than Bellingham.

For how much longer can England fail upwards?

So far, they have topped their group and managed to bypass Slovakia in the last 16 and all with a malfunctioning, ill-balanced side devoid of confidence and neutered by an overly-cautious coach.

Should Gareth Southgate and his squad of 26 continue to progress this Saturday they are at risk of tearing down long-established sporting tropes, namely that it is necessary for a team to be cohesive and set-up correctly in order to succeed.

The high regard that form is held in is under threat too.

Thankfully, or otherwise, such long-held truths will still be evident after the weekend because unless England change their ways - ideally a lot, though tweaks will be welcomed - defeat surely beckons in Dusseldorf.

Switzerland are supremely well organized, a club side in international colours, and this is largely due to familiarity. Their back three of Schar, Akanji and Rodriguez, with Sommer in nets, average 90 caps between them while in midfield Xhaka and Freuler have been around the block countless times in tandem.

Ahead of these solid foundations there is the goal-threat of Embolo and the creativity of Vargas.

In short then, the Nati are the Three Lions worst nightmare right now. Well-constructed and greater than the sum of their parts, they are everything England are currently not.

Bad to worse

It gets worse too for the team that against all odds are still joint-favourites at 4/15.00 to win Euro 2024, because this weekend they must overcome a hundred different flaws all without their best performing player.

A mere 17 days ago Marc Guehi was viewed as a potential weak link, his inexperience at this level a worry. A series of commanding displays later however and his loss via suspension against the Swiss is a substantial one.

Ezri Konsa is most fancied to be his replacement, the Villa man brought on at extra-time last Sunday over Lewis Dunk and Joe Gomez to shore things up, but though he impressed last term in helping the Villans secure a Champions League spot the defender's inclusion is accompanied by all manner of possible problems.

Perhaps the least of these is that - should Kieran Trippier be passed fit - England's entire back-four will be made up of right-footed players.

Communication though is the biggest issue, with Konsa having never partnered John Stones before or played in close proximity to Kieran Trippier the other side of him, and this leads us to highlighting Switzerland's habit of scoring early. Could that trend continue while kinks are being ironed out at the back and England gain the chance to settle?

For the record, Murat Yakin's men have notched in the first-half in each of their four games in Germany and scored nine of their last 15 before the break.

Rice cooking

Not that goals will feature too heavily at the Merkur Spiel-Arena with both teams boasting decent defensive records to date.
Encouragingly, England's post-shot xG against is the best in the tournament but Switzerland too have been solid, quietening pre-competition talk that focused on multi-goal concessions in qualifying.

England have been breached every 195 minutes in Germany, Switzerland every 120.

At the other end meanwhile, neither are prolific to put it mildly so inevitably this makes for low-scoring affairs. Indeed, excluding extra-times, only two of England's last 10 fixtures have produced more than two goals and exactly the same applies with Switzerland.

Reasons for the lack of goals converted largely lie in mutual conservative approaches while from a defensive standpoint the outstanding work done by Remo Freuler and Declan Rice deserves acknowledgement, each patrolling and protecting for their country.

Rice has started with three different midfield partners to this point and is arguably a better player when given license to venture forward but in his holding role he has excelled, completing 10 successful tackles and 29 ball recoveries. Only one player - Toni Kroos - has more accurate long passes to his name.

Another stand-out performance from England's fulcrum is a must.

Toney award

Whether England are in desperate need of a goal late-on in Dusseldorf, or seeking to protect what they have, we can expect to see Ivan Toney again at some juncture, the Brentford striker doing his cause no harm at all with an eye-catching 30 minute cameo last Sunday evening.

The 28-year-old occupied Slovakia's rearguard well. He was physical and clever. He won four out of five ground duels and aerial duels and crucially drew three fouls, relieving pressure.

Aside from hitting the target, it was a masterclass of centre-forwarding.

Since 2000, 40.9% of knock-out games in the Euros have gone to extra-time and if this one is as tight and tense as is anticipated what a great option Southgate has on the bench to make a difference.

Trigger warning

The form of Kyle Walker continues to concern and that is exacerbated by the fact that the struggling Manchester City star comes up against Ruben Vargas here.

Few were tipping the left winger to have a stand-out Euros, Vargas coming into the tournament after having a decent, though hardly exceptional campaign with FC Augsburg. For several games leading into the winter break, he was even consigned to the bench as he was for the Nati against Germany, to conclude their group commitments.

In Switzerland's comprehensive besting of Italy in their last 16 tie however, the 25-year-old was superb, scoring and assisting while proving to be a constant menace down the flank.

In what was an extremely tough 90 minutes for a broken Italy side, Giovanni Di Lorenzo had the most difficult afternoon of them all.

Vargas is not afraid to pull the trigger either, positing a shot on target every 61 minutes at the Euros so far.

Now read our early Opta stats piece on the quarter-finals which includes a 9/1 tip!