Switzerland vs. Italy expected lineups, starting 11, team news: Back three or back four for Azzurri boss Spalletti?

Switzerland vs. Italy expected lineups, starting 11, team news: Back three or back four for Azzurri boss Spalletti?

Reigning champions Italy are still grasping for their best form at Euro 2024 as they head into Saturday's last-16 clash with Switzerland in Berlin.

Luciano Spelletti's side came from behind to defeat energetic underdogs Albania 2-1 in their opening match before being comprehensively outplayed by Spain to an extent that was not reflected in the 1-0 scoreline.

There was a change in formation but the Azzurri were listless and needed Mattia Zaccagni's superb 98th-minute strike to snatch a 1-1 draw against Croatia and second place in Group B.

That has landed Italy on theoretically the easier side for the draw, with Spain, Germany, Portugal and France all in the other half.

Switzerland are also winless in two matches but also unbeaten in the tournament and turned in an impressive display to draw 1-1 with hosts Germany last time out. The winner of this game will face whoever prevails between Slovakia and an off-colour England in Gelsenkirchen.

MORE: Euro 2024 schedule and results, updated LIVE | Who will win Euro 2024? Latest odds and predictions

Switzerland vs. Italy predicted lineups, starting 11, team news

Switzerland will be forced into at least one change as right wing-back Silvan Widmer is suspended. Leonidas Stergiou is the favourite to start in his absence although the lack of a natural alternative means Yakin could get creative.

Breel Embolo started his first match of the Euros last time out after an injury-ravaged spell and is set to continue in attack, where Ruben Vargas and Zeki Amdouni are pushing for starts.

Switzerland predicted: (3-4-2-1): Sommer (GK) — Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez — Stergiou, Xhaka, Freuler, Aebischer — Ndoye, Vargas — Embolo.

Injured: None

Suspended: Widmer

Spalletti is tipped to revert to 4-3-3 after the patchy results of his back three experiment against Croatia. There will be a new face in defence, with Gianluca Mancini most likely to replace the suspended Riccardo Calafiori. Left-back Federico Dimarco sat out training with a calf complaint on Friday but is expected to be fit.

The Italy boss could once again shuffle around his shot-shy attackers. Federico Chiesa would be a popular inclusion in the starting lineup in place of Giacomo Raspadori, which Gianluca Scamacca could get another go at centre-forward at Mateo Retegui's expense. Sky Italia reported on Friday that Stephan El Shaarawy was poised to complete a three-man forward line, with Nicolo Fagioli set to join Nicolo Barella and Bryan Cristante in midfield.

Italy predicted (4-3-3): Donnarumma (GK) — Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Dimarco —  Barella, Fagioli, Cristante — Chiesa, Scamacca, El Shaarawy.

Injured: None

Suspended: Calafiori

Switzerland vs. Italy live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this Euro 2024 match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

USA: Switzerland vs. Italy from the Olympiastadion will be televised in the United States on FS1, with a Spanish-language broadcast via TUDN, and Univision. These channels are available to stream on Fubo with the latter offering a FREE seven-day trial. ViX is also an option.

Radio coverage of the match can be followed on SiriusXM FC.

UK: Saturday’s match will be shown in the UK on BBC One and the free-to-air broadcaster's iPlayer and BBC Sport website platforms.

Canada: TSN and CTV are the main English language broadcasters for Euro 2024 while TVA provides French language options.

Australia: Australia's sole broadcaster for the European Championship is Optus Sport.

India: Euro 2024 matches are available to watch on on JioTV and Sony LIV. Switzerland vs. Italy can also be viewed on Sony Ten Network on TV.

If this match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.