“We’re in good shape,” Murat Yakin

Credit: Photo by Icon sport

Switzerland coach Murat Yakin emphasized his team’s “great confidence” ahead of their Euro 2024 Round of 16 match against Italy.

Speaking to Swiss media outlet Srf, Yakin began by discussing Switzerland’s state of mind ahead of their Round of 16 clash with Italy. “We’re playing for it. We can’t say we’re favourites, because we’re facing Italy, but the draw against Germany gave us great confidence and we can’t hide. We followed Italy’s game closely, analyzing their tactics and strategy, and we’re going to delve deeper over the next few days. Honestly, we can’t wait. They are unpredictable, but we are ready. Even from a mental point of view, we have enough quality to survive a match like this. In reality, we don’t want to worry too much about Italy, in fact, I think the opposite is true because things are working well for us. Italy has a great league which I really like, very strategic and tactical. The national team has some excellent players, so it will be a great challenge. We look at ourselves, but of course we also have to focus on the opponent, depending on the Italians’strengths and weaknesses. They have different ways of playing, which makes them dangerous. But they will also be thinking about us. We’re in good shape, we’re unpredictable and we’re going to try to get something out of this game. High intensity and a willingness to run have made us strong recently. Our system, our strategy is working and we have the element of surprise on our side, and of course our great fans. When even Manuel Akanji or Granit Xhaka highlight the support, it really means something. Even against Germany, where they were clearly in the minority, our fans were so loud and dominant. It was great to see how they supported us for 90 minutes,” said the Swiss coach.