Bottom-placed Italy will be looking to put their opening day defeat behind them when they face leaders Switzerland this weekend in round two of the Under-21 European Championship group stage.
The Swiss are certainly not among the best teams at the tournament in terms of big names on paper, but Patrick Rahmen's men took an important step towards progressing to the knockout stage as they came back from a goal down to defeat Norway 2-1.
They also defeated surprise package Israel in a pre-tournament friendly and will be looking to carry on this positive momentum with a favourable result against Italy.
Five-time winners Italy meantime are the joint-most successful team in U-21 Euro history. However, they haven't had the best of starts to this tournament, with a narrow defeat against France. But it wasn't for lack of effort, as the Italian put on a good show, going toe-to-toe with the tournament favourites.
Gli Azzurrini are likely to be pumped up for this do-or-die game as they have to come up with a victory to stay afloat in the tournament.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Switzerland vs Italy kick-off time
| Date: | 25 June 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 5 pm BST |
| Venue: | Cluj Arena |
The UEFA U21 European Championship game between Switzerland and Italy is set to take place on June 25, 2023, at the Cluj Arena in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
It will kick off at 5 pm BST in the United Kingdom.
How to watch Switzerland U21 vs Italy U21 online - TV channels & live streams
 | UEFA.tv | Watch here |
The game will not be broadcast on TV, but will be available to stream live online throughUEFA.tv.
Team news & squads
Switzerland U21 team news
Manager Patrick Rahmen is likely to make some changes to the setup to freshen things up. While they lack any star names like Italy, France, or England, Switzerland are one of the most expansive sides in the tournament, with Rahmen setting them up in an attacking 4-2-2-2 formation.
The Swiss have a very impressive attack in this tournament, with both Dan Ndoye and Kastriot Imeri showcasing their goal-scoring potency in the opener against Norway. Young Boys wonderkid Fabian Rieder is another attacker to watch, having contributed to 20 goals for the Swiss Super League side this past season.
Switzerland U-21 predicted XI: Saipi; Blum, Burch, Stergiou, Omeragic; Jashari, Sohm; Ndoye, Imeri; Rieder, Stojilkovic.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Saipi, Keller, Ammeter |
| Defenders: | Blum, Stergiou, Vouilloz, Berch, Amenda, Muller, Kronig, Omeragic |
| Midfielders: | Sohm, Jashiri, Imeri, Giusto, Bares, Krasniqi, Rieder |
| Forwards: | Ndoye, Stojilkovic, Vonmoos, Males, Amdouni |
Italy U21 team news
Head coach Paolo Nicolato has said that he was shocked by the number of refereeing mistakes during the defeat against France. Also, Nicolato said the team was a bit unlucky too after a last-minute equaliser was missed by the officials - despite the ball clearly crossing the line with no VAR or ball-line technology to spot the error.
Regardless, Nicolato has no major injury concerns ahead of this crucial game. Gli Azzurrini captain Sandro Tonali, who was by far the best player on the pitch against France, is on the verge of completing a big-money move to Newcastle United from AC Milan, but will be focused on leading the national team U21 to a positive result here.
Forward Pietro Pellegri impressed with some sharp runs in behind France's defence last time out and got himself on the scoresheet. He will continue to lead the line for the Italians, with Leeds United's electric winger Wilfried Gnonto likely to feature from the get-go here.
Italy U21 predicted XI: Carnesecchi; Pirola, Okoli, Scalvini; Bellanova, Tonali, Ricci, Udogie; Cancellieri, Pellegri, Gnonto.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Carnesecchi, Caprile, Turati |
| Defenders: | Scalvini, Parisi, Pirola, Lovato, Bellanova, Udogie, Cittadini, Okoli, Cambiaso |
| Midfielders: | Ricci, Esposito, Tonali, Rovella, Bove, Miretti, Cambiaghi |
| Forwards: | Colombo, Pellegri, Gnonto, Cancellieri |
Head-to-Head Record
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two national youth sides.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 10/08/11 | Italy U21 1-1 Switzerland U21 | U21 Friendly games |