Switzerland vs Andorra Prediction & Tips
It could be a match between a very strong and a very weak side when Switzerland hosts Andorra in Group I of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, as these two teams occupy first and last place in the standings, respectively, at the halfway point of this campaign. With three home games against the three lowest-ranked teams in the group still to come, Switzerland are now expected to safely qualify for their third Euro in a row.
However, drawing with Kosovo for the second time in less than 18 months, three months after the same 2-2 result against Romania, should serve as a reminder to the Swiss side of how dangerous overconfidence can be. While noting that his squad led Kosovo for much of the match on a difficult pitch in Pristina, coach Murat Yakin lamented the team’s performance overall, stating that his side “did the minimum in attack and did not defend well enough.”
Andorra should at least be somewhat familiar with their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, having scored against them just three months ago despite losing the most recent match between the two (2-1). It was an admirable effort against a team currently 141 places above them in the FIFA Rankings, and there could be some reason to argue that they are currently exceeding expectations after earning a 0-0 draw against Belarus, an opponent ranked in the FIFA Top 100, on Saturday.
That was a particularly special match for the team, not only because it was only the second time Andorra had taken points from more than one game in a European Championship qualifying campaign, but coach Koldo Alvarez gave a record to 43-year-old defender Ildefons Lima, who recorded his 136th and final international appearance since his debut in 1997 with a two-minute stoppage-time cameo that allowed him to bid farewell to his supporters before retiring. Keeping Belarus scoreless was also a sign of some positive long-term development in the country, as it has now completed 12 consecutive matches without a defeat by three or more goals, once a frequent occurrence for the micro-state.
Players to watch: The three official games Remo Freuler has played since the beginning of June have all been for Switzerland, so it is impressive that he has been able to open the scoring within 15 minutes on two of those occasions despite his lack of competitive pace. On an equally remarkable note, 38-year-old Márcio Vieira was Andorra’s only scorer in the previous meeting between the two sides.
Key fact: The last time Switzerland failed to win three consecutive matches in a European Championship play-off was in 1987.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Switzerland – Andorra FREE TIPS
OVER 3.5 GOALS @ 2.25
