Renowned football commentator Jian Jun recently predicted that Italy might be the victim of an upset in the UEFA Euro Round of 16 match against Switzerland.
Jian said, “This Euro Cup has shown a trend of ‘strong teams not being as strong, weak teams not being as weak.’ The gap between the teams is narrowing, which explains the dull group stage matches and why I believe there will be more upsets in the knockout rounds.”
“The first game of the Round of 16 could already see an upset, with the defending champions Italy facing Switzerland. In the last tournament, Switzerland knocked out France, who were also favorites for the title. This time, Switzerland qualified as group runners-up, and their strength should not be underestimated.”
“For Italy, who narrowly made it to the Round of 16, they will miss starting center-back Caldara due to suspension. They’ll have to field a new central defensive partnership, likely either Bastoni partnering Bonucci or Manchini. Whichever combination they choose, this untested duo will face a challenge against Swiss forwards like Embolo and N’doye, who are skilled at individual play and have already found the back of the net. Italy’s defense must avoid one-on-one situations.”
“Against a defensively solid and counter-attacking Switzerland, if Italy fails to exploit the wings, scoring goals could prove challenging. If they can take the match to penalties, Donnarumma’s penalty-saving abilities might provide a chance for them to progress.”