Switzerland qualified for the round of 16 by coming second in Group A, with their tally of five points ensuring they finished above both Albania and Romania. They were often rather unconvincing in their first three matches, though, with the Swiss not quite finding the right formula to produce a collective that was equal to the sum of its individual parts.
Vladimir Petkovic's charges were fortunate to defeat Albania in their opening encounter, securing a narrow 1-0 victory but relying heavily on goalkeeper Yann Sommer to keep out the opposition throughout the second half, and although they were better against Romania a few days later, creating more goalscoring opportunities while limiting the Tricolorii to fewer, there was still a sense that they were not functioning as they should, particularly in attacking areas.
A 0-0 draw with France in their final group game was a good result, but it certainly seemed as though both teams were not pushing for the win as they would have done had a share of the spoils not been enough to guarantee them both a place in the knockout rounds of the competition.
Poland also finished as runners-up in their group, with a tally of seven points seeing them end the first stage behind world champions Germany on goal difference alone. The Poles opened their account with a 1-0 triumph over Northern Ireland, a match that was far more one-sided than the scoreline suggests; indeed, Adam Nawalka's charges created far more opportunities than the Northern Irish, who spent the majority of the game camped inside their own half of the field.
Poland then demonstrated their defensive credentials with a fine display against arch-rivals Germany, who were held to a goalless draw in an encounter in which the two best chances fell to Nawalka's men. Poland's solidity at the back was again on show in the 1-0 success against Ukraine on Tuesday, with the Biało-czerwoni forced to absorb a lot of pressure to make it two wins out of three in Group C. Star striker Robert Lewandowski has not really got firing yet - the Bayern Munich frontman has not found the back of the net and been quiet from open play too - but it is testament to the strength of his support act that Poland have still comfortably qualified for the last 16 without a massive contribution from one of the best centre-forwards in the competition.
A Poland win to nil looks to be the best bet in this round of 16 encounter, with under 2.5 goals to be scored another wager that is worth exploring. Poland have still not conceded a single goal and have the defensive nous to shut out Switzerland, with the partnership of Lewandowski and Arek Milik ensuring they have plenty of firepower going the other way. In terms of first goalscorer, Ajax forward Milik is a tempting proposition.
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