England vs Switzerland

England’s warm-up campaign for the upcoming World Cup finals begins at Wembley Stadium as they take on fellow European rivals Switzerland in an international friendly.

Despite suffering Euro 2022 grand final heartache at the hands of Italy, 2021 proved to be a successful year for England. Led by Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane, the ‘Three Lions’ netted a staggering 52 goals in 2021, their best scoring record across a single calendar year in the nation’s history. In addition to their remarkable attacking output, Gareth Southgate’s men were nothing short of outstanding at the back, keeping a record-breaking 14 clean sheets last calendar year. Warm favourites to grab another win, England boast an intimidating 23-game form against Switzerland (W16, D6), with their solitary defeat in this run of fixtures dating back to 1981. Coming into this encounter, Southgate’s men are unbeaten in their last 20 internationals (W16, D4), meaning they are one win/draw away from setting another unprecedented feat in the country’s history.

On the other hand, Switzerland’s epic comeback in 2022 World Cup qualifying Group C saw them come from behind to pip reigning European champions Italy to a top-place finish, courtesy of an unbeaten record in the qualifying cycle (W5, D3). Murat Yakin’s men will take the field in high spirits after going unbeaten in their last ten international fixtures (W5, D5), with much of the credit for their impressive run of form going to a rock-solid defence. Indeed, the Swiss conceded only two goals across their eight 2022 World Cup qualifiers, while they’ve kept five clean sheets in seven matches since exiting Euro 2020. However, after drawing a blank in each of their last four meetings with England, Switzerland will be more worried about their performances at the other end of the pitch.