Team news, expert insight, form guides and what the coaches are saying ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final.
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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
Backed by what is bound to be a raucous home crowd, Portugal will fancy their chances of going one better than they did at UEFA EURO 2004 by claiming a major European tournament on home soil to go alongside their UEFA EURO 2016 triumph. Fernando Santos has a big call to make in who partners Cristiano Ronaldo up top, with wonderkid João Félix the fans’ preferred option; older statesman Dyego Sousa is likely to be given the nod, though.
Matthew Howarth, Switzerland
Switzerland recovered from 2-0 down to beat Belgium and reach the UEFA Nations League Finals before surrendering a 3-0 lead against Denmark in UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying. Vladimir Petković’s squad is laced with quality, but Die Nati often struggle to produce consistent performances over 90 minutes. Failure to do so against the hosts on Wednesday could prove costly.
What the coaches say
Fernando Santos, Portugal
It will be a very hard match, with two teams that like to hold onto the ball, that like possession. Switzerland also like to play long balls, utilising the characteristics of players like [Haris] Seferović; then there’s [Xherdan] Shaqiri, who likes to hold the ball up. They are full of quality players. Our job is to think about ourselves … and to impose our game. The Portuguese national team, playing at home, want to bring joy to their fans.
Vladimir Petković, Switzerland
Portugal are certainly favourites, not just in this game, but for the tournament as a whole – they’re at home and are European champions. They have the pedigree but so many times we’ve shown, and football has shown, that nothing is impossible. Maybe now Switzerland just need that final stamp, which we can fight for and earn against the top sides, by winning a tournament like this one.
