Recently, famous football commentator James Jun said in his outlook on the European Cup Round of 16 that he believes Italy could be upset by Switzerland.
James Jun said: “This European Cup has a phenomenon of ‘strong teams not strong, weak teams not weak,’ the gap between strong and weak teams is shrinking, which is the reason why the group stage was relatively dull, and it’s also why I think there will be more upsets in the knockout stages.”
“The first match of the Round of 16 could be an upset, the defending champion Italy against Switzerland. Switzerland eliminated France in the Round of 16 last time, and that French team was also a big favorite to win the title. This time, Switzerland has reached the Round of 16 as the second-placed team in their group, their strength cannot be ignored.”
“For Italy, which has had a difficult time reaching the Round of 16, starting central defender Calafiori is suspended and cannot play in this match, so they will have to use a new player in the central defender position. We’ll have to see if Bastoni will partner with Bonucci or Mancini Jr. No matter who Bastoni partners with, this new combination has not been tested in the group stage. Facing forwards like Embolo and Ndoye in the Swiss team, who have strong individual abilities and have already scored goals, the Italian defense needs to avoid being caught in one-on-one defensive situations.”
“Facing a Swiss team that plays counter-attacking football, if Italy can’t break through on the flanks, it will be difficult to score goals. If Italy can drag the game into a penalty shootout, they might be able to rely on Donnarumma’s penalty-saving ability to create a chance to advance.”
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