Denmarkvs.Switzerland

In the first of several friendlies designed to prepare both teams for the upcoming finals in Germany, the Danes return to home turf, where they have won seven straight games since mid-2022.

Match preview

After coming so close to the final of Euro 2020, Denmark are planning another assault on the European title this year, and after topping their group in qualifying they will now warm up with a series of friendly fixtures.

Kasper Hjulmand's side host Switzerland and Faroe Islands this month, before two more matches in June - against neighbours Sweden and Norway - provide the final chance to tune up for a challenging group stage.

The 1992 European champions will be making their fourth consecutive appearance in major competitions and are fancied to make it through to the knockout rounds, but England, Serbia and Slovenia lie in wait.

Ahead of this week's game at Parken, the Danes have been unstoppable in Copenhagen for some time now, and despite surprise losses away to Kazakhstan and Northern Ireland at either end of their Euros qualifying campaign, they were still Group H winners.

Indeed, Hjulmand's squad have won five of their last six matches, losing just one of the last nine, and precedent suggests that good run can continue against Switzerland, who they last lost to some 40 years ago.

Not only are Switzerland winless in their last five games against Denmark, stretching back to 1984, they have also never won away to Saturday's hosts.

Die Nati are therefore aiming to write a brief page in history this weekend, before visiting the Republic of Ireland next Tuesday.

Group I runners-up, Switzerland ultimately reached their fifth continental finals in six with a 1-1 home draw against Kosovo in their penultimate qualifier, but coach Murat Yakin has come under fire for producing lacklustre results and reportedly causing friction in the camp.

Expected to top their group quite comfortably, the Swiss finished behind Romania following a last-day defeat, and Yakin will now be seeking a morale-boosting turnaround before Euro 2024 gets under way.

Switzerland are without a win in four games - including draws against Israel, Belarus and Kosovo - and having been drawn in a group also featuring Scotland, Hungary and hosts Germany, they cannot afford to start slowly this summer.

So, after a warm-weather training trip to La Manga, the Swiss will now hope to impress against tough opponents that simply refuse to be beaten on Danish soil.

Denmark form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

W

L

Switzerland form (all competitions):

D

W

D

D

D

L

Team News

Denmark's plans for Saturday have been disrupted by four withdrawals, as Andreas Christensen pulled out of the squad with an ongoing Achilles problem, while Andreas Skov Olsen, Christian Norgaard and Benfica full-back Alexander Bah must also miss out due to injury.

The quartet have been replaced by Mads Roerslev, Gustav Isaksen, Jacob Rasmussen and Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley, the latter of whom made his debut in November's defeat to Northern Ireland.

At the other end of the experience spectrum, Kasper Schmeichel will hope to earn his 100th cap, while centurions Christian Eriksen and Simon Kjaer are present once again; Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund may have won only 10 caps but has already scored seven times at senior level.

Meanwhile, Switzerland will be without Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who was ruled out of BVB's last Bundesliga game by injury: after reporting for international duty he was sent straight back to Germany, and Yann Sommer should start between the posts.

Long-term absentee Breel Embolo is still on the path back from ACL surgery, but Murat Yakin has plenty of other attacking options at his disposal, including Bologna winger Dan Ndoye.

The latter is joined by clubmates Remo Freuler and Michel Aebischer in the Swiss squad, which also features some fresh faces: Vincent Sierro currently captains Toulouse in Ligue 1, while Dereck Kutesa has starred for Super League title contenders Servette this season.

Denmark possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Maehle, Andersen, Kjaer, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Hjulmand; Wind, Hojlund

Switzerland possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Ndoye, Xhaka, Aebischer, Steffen; Shaqiri, Okafor, Vargas

We say: Denmark 2-1 Switzerland

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