The Round of 16 clash between Italy and Switzerland will undoubtedly be a challenging one. Despite the general favoritism towards Italy, this may simply be a case of the prestige effect. During this year's European National Finals week, I witnessed every team that made it to the top 16 go through a tough test, and the difference in strength was not obvious.
Italy's midfield duo of Nicolo Ballet and Jorgino Ferro are expected to be in control of the game, but Nicolo Fagioli may be the key man after he showed his skills against Croatia. Switzerland's defense is rock-solid, with Billet safe, Dani Duje and Szczeszkylli all possessing strong attacking abilities, so Italy will need to be cautious.
Looking back at history, the Italian team tends to play superbly in the knockout stage. The last European Cup is a good example. With this in mind, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Italy's road to the final will be full of surprises.
If I were the Italian coach, I would send two strikers to attack the opponent, while Lorenzo Brigittini would support the front line in the 352 formation. In fact, Italy has yet to find a suitable striker, which may be the key to determine the direction of the game.
It's worth noting that despite Italy's struggles in the group stage, they often turn things around in the knockout stages. As witnessed in the last Euro, I firmly believe that Italy is strong enough to beat Switzerland and advance to the next round.
