Euro 2016: Switzerland v/s Poland preview - Will Lewandowski or Shaqiri score their first goal?

Poland forward Robert Lewandowski and Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri, who have yet to shine at Euro 2016, will have another chance to score their first goal of the tournament when their teams clash in St Etienne in the last 16 on Saturday. 

It is the first time for both the teams to appear in the knockout stage of European Championship. Poland is the runner up in Group C after football giants Germany and has not conceded a single goal so far. Switzerland on the other hand also stand at second position after host France in Group A. They conceded one goal in the Group Stage but have not lost a single of the three matches so far. The winner will face Croatia or Portugal in quarter-finals on June 30.  

Lewandowski made it to six international matches without scoring when he missed an early chance in their 1-0 win over Ukraine. “He has a lot of influence on the way we play,” said coach Adam Nawalka. “He is an incredibly important player for us. He is our engine, like a locomotive and he provides us with power.” 

Similarly, Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic is unconcerned that Shaqiri, has not shown off his dribbling or long-range shooting skills. “Individualists are having a tough time at his tournament,” said Petkovic, “I’m satisfied that Xherdan is not an individualist at the moment, but a team player. “He gives everything for the team and that’s what he should keep doing. When the team goes well, everyone profits.” 

Match Timing: 6.30 pm, June 25 IST

Where to watch in India: Sony ESPN, Sony Six and live streaming. 

Possible Starting XI

Switzerland: Y Sommer, S Lichtsteiner, F Schar, J Djourou, R Rodríguez, V Behrami, G Xhaka, B Dzemaili, X Shaqiri, B Embolo, A Mehmedi

Poland: L Fabianski, L Piszczek, K Glik, M Pazdan, A J?drzejczyk, J B?aszczykowski, G Krychowiak, K M?czynski, K Grosicki, A Milik, R Lewandowski

​Manager Talk

Adam Nawalka

Lewandowski can finish Euro 2016 without a goal to his name as long as the team keep grinding out results starting with Saturday's last-16 clash against Switzerland, coach Nawalka said on Friday. 

The Poles eked out 1-0 wins over Northern Ireland and Ukraine and a 0-0 draw against Germany in the group stage, with Lewandowski often dropping into a deeper role to create space for strike partner Arkadiusz Milik. "We have no problem with the fact that Lewandowski hasn't scored yet because he is doing a great job for us," Nawalka told a news conference. 

"He has adapted to a new role very well as we are a team whose players understand each other perfectly and we are very happy to have him in our side." The match will feature sides who stifled their group-stage opponents in midfield and kept things tight at the back, with the Swiss conceding only one goal and Poland none. They (Switzerland) are a very good team and in order to win a game with no room for error we have to implement our game plan, which is to attack and keep them on the back foot," Nawalka said. 

"We will need to take our chances because we probably won't get many against a rock solid Swiss defence." Defensive midfield Grzegorz Krychowiak, linked in media reports with a move to French champions Paris St Germain from Sevilla, said he had fond memories of his 2008-2014 spell at various French clubs before joining the Spanish side. "This is a very special tournament for me because I spent a long time here but nothing compares to playing for your national team," he said. 

"I don't want to discuss the PSG situation because I am totally focused on Euro 2016. We know that the group stage is history and every game ahead of us is like a final."

Vladimir Petkovic

​Switzerland are confident they can beat Poland to qualify for the European Championship last eight after reaching the tournament's knockout stages for the first time, coach Petkovic said on Friday. The sides clash in the Geoffroy Guichard stadium on Saturday and Petkovic stressed his side were quickly developing a penchant for the business end of the competition. 

"We are getting a real taste of the knockout rounds and having closed the group stage door, we are now ready to open another one," the 52-year old Bosnian-born coach told a news conference. "Our feet are still on the ground of course but we are very excited at the same time and want to progress further. We have improved in every game and having been together for a month, we can construct a positive atmosphere from that to produce our best game of the tournament against Poland." 

The Swiss opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Albania followed by a 1-1 draw against Romania and a goalless stalemate against hosts France. Happy with his team's tight defending, Petkovic acknowledged they needed to be sharper up front and take more long-range shots against an even more stingy Polish side, who are yet to concede a goal in Euro 2016. "We had at least 15 chances in the three games we have played and it is obvious that we have to be more clinical in front of goal," he said. 

"It's not just down to the strikers to score, everyone must pose a threat. The final ball needs to be better and we also have to try more shots from long range. "We're up against a very good team who have given nothing away and we need to do the same. Keep possession as much as we can and be 100 percent focused when we don't have the ball." 

Defender Stefan Lichtsteiner echoed Petkovic's confidence. "This is the big stage where you want to prove your worth and we want to make another step so that Switzerland can be even more proud of us," the 32-year old right back said. "The performance against France was a benchmark and gives us plenty of confidence because we played very well and had a lot of possession against a top team."

Team News

Switzerland: No one on the injury table. 

Poland: Szczęsny out due to thigh injury.

With inputs from AFP, Reuters and UEFA.com.