In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian football legend Marco Materazzi has stated that if Italy beat Switzerland in the Round of 16 of the European Championship, they will have a “clear path” to the final stages of the competition.
Italy will face Switzerland on June 29th in Berlin. While the reigning champions may be considered favorites, Materazzi has reminded players not to underestimate their opponents. “There are no favorites now, and beating Switzerland has never been easy. Murat Yakin can rely on players who play in Serie A, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League, it’s a balanced team with good players and a top goalkeeper like Sommer. Switzerland impressed me in the match against Germany, they were confident and in good form. However, the problem for Italy should not be Switzerland, the most important thing is to make sure that they don’t have problems of their own.”
Materazzi encouraged the Italian team, stating that once they get past Switzerland, the path ahead will be bright. Materazzi said, “If we get past Switzerland, there might be a clear path ahead. However, the players shouldn’t think about it, otherwise, they will carry a heavy burden. We saw such a path in 2006, which eventually led us to the semi-finals against Germany, and the final against France. It seemed easy, but it wasn’t.”
In the knockout stages of the 2006 World Cup, Italy defeated Australia and Ukraine before going on to defeat hosts Germany in the semi-finals. The Azzurri then went on to beat France in the final on penalties to lift the trophy.
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