Spain coach Luis Enrique insists there is no complacency in his camp going into the game
Both Switzerland and Spain played in epic last-16 fixtures and now face off in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals on Friday evening.
Switzerland stunned France on Monday night, knocking Les Bleus out on penalties, meaning Spain – who beat Croatia 5-3 in extra time – face the underdogs and not the world champions for a place in the semi-finals against either Belgium or Italy.
The two sides have recent history too. Spain edged a 1-0 win in their first Nations League meeting in Madrid in October and were then held 1-1 the following month in Basel.
Spain coach Luis Enrique insists there is no complacency in his camp going into the game in St Petersburg (kick-off 5 pm BST), saying: “The reality is Switzerland have got through and nothing else matters.
“The good thing for us is that both teams know each other very well. We competed recently in the Nations League.
“They’re going to be a very tough team to face and I think for the spectator there might not be some big names, but they’re a great group of players.
“They’re a match for us in terms of the way they press, the way they attack, so it’s going to be very difficult for us.”
Enrique also dismissed the idea his players might be tired, adding: “No. It’s not going to affect us at all. If you look at the stats, we have some fantastic people in the backroom staff, and the stats are all impressive.
“I have full confidence in all 24 players. Physical issues are just as important as mental issues. If something’s not going right mentally, you’re perhaps not running so well. I think it’s more a mental issue than a physical one and physically we’re in great shape.”
Switzerland are galvanised and confident of reaching the semis, despite being underdogs against Spain, coach Vladimir Petkovic said.
The Swiss caused the shock of the tournament when they beat France in the shootout in Bucharest after fighting back from 3-1 down for a 3-3 draw.
“We have done very well to reach the quarter-finals but we are not content and we are hungry for more,” Petkovic told a news conference on Thursday.
“We know we are playing one of the tournament favourites but we won’t be overwhelmed after eliminating France. We want to go a step further and we’ll be mentally prepared for another massive challenge.”
Team news
Switzerland will miss suspended midfielder Granit Xhaka, who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against France.
“Granit’s absence is a setback but I have an idea how we are going to deal with that. In any case, it means everyone else on the pitch has to give 10 percent more because Spain are a great team and they scored 10 goals in their last two games,” Petkovic said.
There are no new injury or suspension concerns for Spain.
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