Euro 2016: Group A - Match Previews

Hosts France will this evening be looking for back-to-back wins when they face Southern European minnows, Albania. But before that, a tough Romanian side take on Switzerland.

Romania v Switzerland – Wednesday, 5pm

These two teams have only faced each other on one occasion previously at a major tournament in the 1994 World Cup. The Swiss manager at the time, Roy Hodgson, guided his team to a 4-1 victory.

Romania will count themselves slightly hard done by that they fell afoul of a heartbreaking late French winner in the tournament opener. They executed their game-plan almost perfectly as they limited a team full of talent to very few opportunities. Romania looked dangerous on just about every set-piece on Friday, an area they will be hoping to take advantage of this time out. Veteran left-back Razvan Rat was caught out for pace several times, his place could be under threat. Romania will stick with their defensive-minded, organised approach and hope to pick Switzerland off on the break.

The Swiss could not have got off to a better start against Albania, scoring within the first few minutes of the game. Defender Fabian Schar scored his sixth goal in just 21 matches, a highly efficient return for a centre-half. Despite keeping a clean sheet, a less than impressive Albanian side had many chances in the game. Worryingly, Romania’s forward players are more decisive, so the Swiss back line really needs to tighten up. Xherdan Shaqiri drifted in and out of Saturday’s game far too much, it is imperative he picks up the ball more often in offensive positions. An unchanged Switzerland side is expected.

The Romanian’s have to get something from this game; otherwise they will be staring down the barrel of an early elimination. Whereas Switzerland knows that a win for them will ensure their passage into the next round, with a game to spare. The Swiss will probably dominate the ball for most of this game, as Romania prefers a more conservative style to their opponents. Chances could be few and far between in this game – expect a fierce midfield battle.

Prediction: 1-1

France v Albania – Wednesday, 8pm

The French head into this game on a high, following that superb left-footed strike from Dimitri Payet. There is still pressure on the hosts ahead of this match, though, as not just a French win is anticipated, it has to be done a certain way. Les Blues were by no means poor against Romania, but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third. The ball seemed to bypass Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet far too often, with long balls up to Olivier Giroud’s head. Although the Arsenal centre-forward won most of his battles, the second ball was rarely picked up by anyone wearing blue.

France’s defensive frailties were also apparent on Friday, particularly from corners where Romania should have scored on at least one occasion. The tiring legs of ageing left-back Patrice Evra were dangled out mid-way through the second half, which gave the Romanians a huge chance from the penalty spot. Those defensive problems will unlikely be exposed as much against Albania, but they still have to be wary.

There is talk of Paul Pogba being replaced in the starting line-up tonight by vibrant winger, Kingsley Coman. Pogba didn’t put his stamp on the game against Romania, so Didier Deschamps could well drop a central midfielder and opt to play with more width.

Albania was lacklustre against Switzerland. They missed an abundance of huge chances, which highlighted why they were so concerned heading into the tournament about the absence of a potent striker up top. Another huge loss was that of captain, Lorik Cana, he was dismissed from the field in the dying embers of the first half. Albania now faces the daunting task of facing France, with their tournament hopes hanging in the balance. But as they are largely unfavoured ahead of this tie, there is little pressure on them. Gianni De Biassi is forced into one change at centre-half, apart from that, he will likely name the same set of players.

France has to take this game to Albania. They need to go out and make a statement to the other tournament favourites of the competition. A compromising win for the French would get the nation’s backing behind them. However, for Albania it is a different matter. This could be a game more about pride than anything else. The Albanian’s will more than likely sit deep, with ten men behind the ball and try to frustrate their opponent. France should dominate the possession throughout the game, but they have to use it better than they did against Romania. Once France get the opening goal, they should be hard for Albania to contain.

Prediction: France to win 3-0