UEFA Nations League semi-final preview: Portugal v Switzerland
- Hosts face Switzerland in initial semi-final in Porto
- Ronaldo set for foe entrance after blank League Phase
- Portugal have not mislaid rival home compare given 2014
- Four of Switzerland’s final 9 games finished in defeat
- All we need to know about a UEFA Nations League finals
Possible line-ups
Portugal: Rui Patrício; João Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Raphael Guerreiro; Rúben Neves, William Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes; Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo, Gonçalo Guedes
Out: Danilo (suspended)
Switzerland: Sommer; Mbabu, Schär, Akanji, Rodríguez; Xhaka, Zakaria; Fernandes, Shaqiri, Zuber; Seferović
Out: none
Reporters’ views
Joe Walker, Portugal (@UEFAcomJoeW)
Backed by what is bound to be a rough home crowd, Portugal will imagination their chances of going one improved than they did during UEFA EURO 2004 by claiming a vital European contest on home dirt to go alongside their UEFA EURO 2016 triumph. Fernando Santos has a large call to make in who partners Cristiano Ronaldo adult top, with wonderkid João Félix a fans’ elite option; comparison statesman Dyego Sousa is expected to be given a nod, though.
Matthew Howarth, Switzerland (@UEFAcomMattH)
Switzerland recovered from 2-0 down to kick Belgium and strech a UEFA Nations League Finals before surrendering a 3-0 lead opposite Denmark in UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying. Vladimir Petković’s patrol is laced with quality, though Die Nati mostly onslaught to furnish unchanging performances over 90 minutes. Failure to do so opposite a hosts on Wednesday could infer costly.
What a coaches say
Fernando Santos, Portugal
It will be a really tough match, with dual teams that like to reason onto a ball, that like possession. Switzerland also like to play prolonged balls, utilising a characteristics of players like [Haris] Seferović; afterwards there’s [Xherdan] Shaqiri, who likes to reason a round up. They are full of peculiarity players. Our pursuit is to consider about ourselves … and to levy a game. The Portuguese inhabitant team, personification during home, wish to move fun to their fans.
Vladimir Petković, Switzerland
Portugal are positively favourites, not only in this game, though for a contest as a whole – they’re during home and are European champions. They have a extraction though so many times we’ve shown, and football has shown, that zero is impossible. Maybe now Switzerland only need that final stamp, that we can quarrel for and acquire opposite a tip sides, by winning a contest like this one.
Form guide
Portugal: DDDDWWWDLD
Switzerland: DWWLWLLWLD
Did we know?
Portugal are 12 rival games dominant on home turf, given Sep 2014 and a 1-0 better by Albania.
Article source: https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/season=2019/matches/round=2000956/match=2024419/prematch/preview/index.html?rss=2589936+UEFA+Nations+League+semi-final+preview:+Portugal+v+Switzerland