In the battle between Switzerland and Spain in Group A4 of the UEFA Europa League, Switzerland lost to Denmark, but their overall strength is steadily improving. Switzerland has rarely lost against traditional powerhouses, including this year's trips to Germany, Italy and England in Europe, where they remained undefeated. Spain on the other hand, after winning the European Championship, ended in a 0-0 draw against Serbia, and the players' desire to win seems to have waned. It's worth noting that Spain have scored just two goals or less in their last seven matches against Switzerland, a statistic that is even lower than Beau's 2.5-goal winning percentage.
Switzerland's tactical style isn't flashy, but it's effective in practice. In their last 10 matches, they have only lost one game, and that was a 0-2 loss to Denmark in the UEFA Europa League. Despite having two players red-carded in that game, including midfield centerpieces Giovidi and Gleszaga, Switzerland kept their victory low key. They have always exceeded expectations against strong teams, as they did in this year's European Nations Group stage, holding the lead for most of the game before eventually drawing 1-1 with Germany in extra time and beating Italy 2-0 to advance to the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, they battled England for 120 minutes in a 1-1 draw, eventually losing on penalties, which goes to show that beating Switzerland is no easy task.
Spain's players' fighting spirit seems to have dropped after the European National Awards. In the match against Serbia, they did not show their usual sharp offense and finally shook hands with their opponents. Striker Oye Bashar unfortunately sprained his ankle in this game and left the field early. The fact that the team leader, Andy Fu, chose not to replace the players seems to indicate that he does not attach importance to this tournament, and regards it as a "titular cup".
Oye Bashar's injury has dealt a heavy blow to the team and has reminded the Raging Bulls that they should return to their clubs immediately after the Europa League to prepare for the tournament and avoid unnecessary overexertion.
Looking back at the last four meetings between the two sides in the UEFA Europa League, Spain have won two, drawn one and lost one, with no clear advantage. It's worth noting that both victories were by the narrow margin of 1-0, proving that Switzerland possesses a stubborn resistance, and the side with the smaller number of goals is more likely to win.
