England v Switzerland – Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, Betting Odds – Euro 2012 Qualifying – 4 June 2011
England can remain on top of Group G with a win as they host 3rd place Switzerland in UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying. The match will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, England on Saturday, June 4, 2011. Kickoff is scheduled for 16:45 BST (UK time), 17:45 CET (Central Europe), and 11:45 EST (USA Eastern).
England v Switzerland TV Listings
It will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel (USA), Setanta Sports (Ireland), ITV 1 (UK), Sky Sport (Italy), Sport TV1 (Portugal), SportKlub (Europe), TV10 (Sweden), Al Jazeera Sport (Middle East), and on RSI La 2 (Switzerland).
England v Switzerland Preview
England manager Fabio Capello
“There are no injuries and all of the players are fit, so I need to choose 18 players tomorrow,” said Capello.
“I have spoken to the players during training and it will be hard because all of the players have trained very well and it will be disappointing to send some of them to the stand.”
Capello revealed the mood has been good around the squad this week, with many of the players having enjoyed something of a mini-break after the end of the Premier League season before returning for England duty last Monday with a freshness and vigour about them.
“The players have returned happy,” he added. “I’ve even had to stop the training sometimes because they’ve been like children at times!
“After one week off, they’re happy to be playing football again and I think it’s been really good for them.”
“If we reach the Euros, I will let the players go on holiday for a week or ten days,” he explained.
“I learnt a lot after the World Cup and I think a holiday is good for them, not only to rest their body but also their mind. This is important.”
“I know Darren very well, he is one of the best in the box. When he gets the ball he scores goals, I hope on Saturday he does the same.”
“Young players sometimes need to wait. In my career as a manager, some players when they are 21 or 22 it’s important what team they play for and how their private life is and it is impossible to know the future.
“Bent has improved a lot and scored a lot of goals.”
England manager John Terry
“The Manager has given us the right amount of time off and we have looked after ourselves,” he said. “Even on holiday we were training once or twice a day making sure we are sharp for Saturday’s game against Switzerland.
“It’s been a bit like a pre-season. It’s been a good, relaxed atmosphere, which is ideal with the young players in the squad that have come in and are now fighting for places.
“The training has been very intense and at the same time, very enjoyable. The players are playing with a smile on their faces at the moment too.
“The communication between the players and Manager has been fantastic and that can only be a good thing.”
“Darren is a great player as his goalscoring record shows and his movement is fantastic. When I play against him he always stretches the defence and his record speaks for itself.”
Fans will pack out Wembley to see the crucial qualifier and Terry knows how much of an impact the England fans can have on such a game.
“I think the fans have seen encouraging signs [since the World Cup]. They have seen different personnel, which they wanted, and we have seen the younger players come in and really make an impact, which is great for everyone.
“We have competition for places all over the park and hopefully the fans have been delighted with the way we have been playing.
“Getting the results hopefully helps too, so if we can keep performing as well as we have done then I think we’ll be okay.
Switzerland manager Otto Hitzfield
“We are lacking strikers aged around 25 or 26 years of age, so I had to call up really young ones to fill the gap.”
“I wonder how Sir Alex Ferguson is able to work 10 months in a row every year without any break at all,” he said. “It’s very likely that I will finish my career as Swiss national coach.”
“It’s always important for a coach to decide on the short term and long term — one factor doesn’t block out the other,” explained Hitzfeld. “I still believe in qualification for 2012 even if we now depend on the results of the Montenegro team. I also have eyes on the future. We must show what we have done in training and bring these performances on to the Wembley pitch.”
“We also like to show our physical presence on the pitch to the English players,” said Hitzfeld. “What counts is that Swiss team shows up very well, shows a new face, a new spirit. That we play with courage and a cute way.”
“No one is expecting us to win,” he said. “The pressure in every game is on the favourite. We have nothing to lose. England can lose a lot. We want to play in some sort of liberated way. I wonder how England will cope with the pressure that will be on them.”
Squads
England - Scott Carson, Joe Hart, Rob Green, Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, John Terry, Kyle Walker, Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Ashley Young, Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Bobby Zamora
Switzerland – Benaglio, Leoni, Wolfli, Djourou, Grice, Lichtsteiner, Senderos, Von Bergen, Ziegler, Barnetta, Behrami, Derdiyok, Dzemaili, Emeghara, Fernandes, Inler, Margairaz, Mehmedi, Schwegler, Shaqiri, Xhaka
Team Stat Comparison
| England | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches Played | 4 | 4 |
| Table Position | 1 | 3 |
| Points | 10 | 4 |
| Goal Difference | 8 | 0 |
| Goals for * | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Goals against * | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Last 5 | W | D |
| Last 5 home | ||
| Last 5 away | W | D |
| * Goals per match – home matches for home club and away matches for away club | ||
Competition Stats
| England | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Darren Bent 1 | |
| Assists | ||
| Yellows | Wayne Rooney 1 | Valon Behrami 1 |
Tables
| PO | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
England
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| 2 |
Montenegro
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 |
Switzerland
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 |
Bulgaria
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 4 |
| 5 |
Wales
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 |
Next Matches
| England | Switzerland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/4 | Switzerland | 6/4 | @England |
| 9/2 | @Bulgaria | 9/6 | Bulgaria |
| 9/6 | Wales | 10/7 | @Wales |
| 10/7 | @Montenegro | 10/11 | Montenegro |
England v Switzerland Prediction
England wins 1-0
England v Switzerland Betting Odds
England win – 4/11
Draw – 10/3
Switzerland win – 8/1
