Kick-off: 1400, 12/06/2021
Stadium: Baku Olympic Stadium, Azerbaijan
TV: BBC One
Wales sensationally reached the semi-finals at Euro 2016 but they will just be happy to get out of a group containing Italy, Switzerland and Turkey at this delayed tournament.
Chris Coleman’s men famously beat Belgium in the quarter-finals five years ago, only to lose to Portugal in the last four.
But the quality in their squad is not quite at the same level, despite still having Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey available.
The Swiss are on an upward curve and an opening win for them from Group A is our first Wales vs Switzerland prediction at 23/20.
A Look At Wales’ Betting Odds
Rob Page will take charge of the Welsh at Euro 2020 instead of regular head coach Ryan Giggs, who is embroiled in a domestic assault case.
The expectations of Wales fans have risen since that incredible run in France but they are favourites to finish bottom of a group which looks trickier than the one from five years ago.
Wales have won four and drawn one of their six matches since Page took temporary charge, with their only defeat coming against the world’s top-ranked team Belgium in a World Cup qualifier in March.
A Ramsey double in a 2-0 victory over Hungary helped Wales qualify for Euro 2020 as Group E runners-up to Croatia and a successful Nations League campaign against limited opposition meant they were promoted to the top level in November.
Wales will turn to the likes of Juventus midfielder Ramsey and Real Madrid/Tottenham attacker Bale as inspiration to get past a Swiss team that has struggled against quality teams lately but usually do enough to see off mediocre opposition.
Bale declared: “The mentality is to get off to a good start and put ourselves in a great position.
“We’ve got a game plan and we’ll be going on the pitch to give 100 per cent and win the game.
“We’re all it in together. We have a massive team spirit and we’ll be using that to every extent.”
Interestingly, the Dragons have scored first in their last five competitive matches, including that 3-1 defeat by Belgium, so we’ll take 8/5 from the Wales vs Switzerland odds on them breaking the deadlock as a saver.
A Look At Switzerland’s Betting Odds
Although Switzerland are viewed as a workmanlike outfit, they have been ranked in the world’s top 20 for the last 10 years, so they are enjoying one of their most successful periods.
The Swiss gave an excellent account of themselves in the latest edition of the Nations League, during which they twice drew with Germany and once with Spain, avoiding relegation at the expense of Ukraine.
Vladimir Petkovic’s side reached the European Championship finals for the second time in a row by finishing top of a group containing Denmark and the Republic of Ireland.
Plus, they recently got off to a good start in World Cup qualifying with unspectacular wins against Bulgaria and Lithuania.
The Swiss will be hard to break down, with goalkeeper Yann Sommer and centre-back Nico Elvedi plying their trade at Borussia Monchengladbach, while Manuel Akanji has impressed at Dortmund.
They are not blessed with great attacking talent, though, and Xherdan Shaqiri struggled for game time at Liverpool this season.
Pushing aside the games against Gibraltar, five of their six qualifiers produced two goals or fewer, so we’ll make the Rossocrociati to win and under 3.5 goals at 29/20 as the next of our Wales vs Switzerland betting tips.
Additional stats
Head-to-head: Wales 2-0 Switzerland, Switzerland 4-1 Wales
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