England to bounce back against the Swiss

Both England and Switzerland suffered 3-1 defeats in their Nations League semi-finals but how will they fare as they prepare to face each other in the third place play-off? Read our preview and find out:

Time for Southgate to experiment

England looked decidedly one dimensional against the Dutch at times on Thursday with some of the established stars struggling to assert themselves on the game.

The fact that two glaring errors handed the Netherlands a ticket to the final was hugely disappointing but there is no denying that they deserved over the 120 minutes.

With the extra time adding to an already jaded squad Southgate will now give some of the fringe players a chance to show what they can do so expect a completely different line-up.

Trent Alexander-Arnold deserves his chance after an amazing season at Liverpool that culminated in Champions League success in Spain. The youngster’s ability to create down the right was sorely missing against Holland.

The big change and probably the one most England fans have been calling for loudest, is to see Callum Wilson get his chance ahead of an increasingly out-of-sorts Harry Kane.

The Tottenham striker has not been at his best for a while after struggling with injury so giving another striker a chance makes sense for all involved especially in a game with little riding on it.

Hard luck Swiss

The Swiss were not too bad against Portugal despite the 3-1 scoreline. The brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo, again, got his nation through when not playing their best.

For Vladimir Petkovic’s side, it was a case of not having enough going forward which has been an issue for some time. The 5-2 victory over Belgium aside, the Swiss have not got a clinical edge that is required to see off the better teams, something which Portugal proved is vital.

There were plenty of positives to take from the display yet the fact that their only goal came from the penalty spot is concerning.

Mistakes no more

England’s defensive frailties are not usually a talking point these days but the goals they conceded against Holland were all avoidable, two almost criminal. There will be some soul searching in the next couple of days and Southgate is usually pretty honest when it comes to admitting fault.

It is, therefore, unlikely that a similar mistake will be allowed to happen again and could even see Michael Keane be given a chance to show his worth. Expect the Three Lions to show more solidity again on Sunday.

Switzerland vs England betting tip

With the England defensive out to prove themselves and the forwards likely to be rotated this one should be an interesting watch. Switzerland, although not lacking quality, never convince they can get goals so backing England to win to nil at odds of 29/10 should be a sound investment with this one.

Bet England to win to nil on