Switzerland vs. England: Latest Form Guide, Live Stream and Predictions

England will start their bid for Euro 2016 qualification with a tricky visit to Switzerland, on paper the strongest team in Group E. The Three Lions will go into the match as favourites thanks to their name, but the official FIFA rankings give the edge to the hosts.

The pressure is on England to perform following a disappointing showing at the 2014 World Cup and a not-so-impressive friendly win over Norway, and despite the new format that will make it easier for teams to qualify, the team simply can't afford to start this campaign on a bad note.

Switzerland took Argentina to extra time at the 2014 World Cup, indicative of much quality the hosts boast. Things won't be easy for the English in Basel, as fans get ready for the most anticipated fixture on Matchday 1 of qualifiers.

Date: Monday, September 8

Time: 7.45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Live stream info: Mobile coverage will be available via the ITV Player (for UK viewers) and Fox Soccer 2Go (for US viewers).

Form Guide

Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press

Early in the 2014-15 season, both teams would be expected to be healthy coming into this fixture. Unfortunately for the visitors, that won't be the case as star striker Daniel Sturridge suffered an injury in training that will sideline him for several weeks, per Sky Sports:

This is bad news for an English team that struggled around the Norwegian box in their 1-0 friendly win. Sturridge is one of the world's best scorers—replacing his production won't be easy.

One man who could benefit from the absence of Sturridge is Danny Welbeck, who just completed a move to Arsenal from Manchester City. New teammate Jack Wilshere believes he has the technical ability to make an impact:

England have struggled to put together results in the past few years, but on sheer quality alone, they should be the strongest squad in Group E. Switzerland's Philippe Senderos believes the pressure will be on the visitors, not the hosts, as reported by the Daily Mail's Laurie Whitwell:

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I don’t think you can ever enter as favourites against a big team like England,’ he explains. ‘We are still a small country, we are developing very well and qualifying for big tournaments. But England are a massive country in football and they have a lot of players to pick from.

It’s different in Switzerland, because England are expected to win and go to every tournament. With the players and quality they have they should do that.

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Qualification shouldn't be an issue for either team—under the new format, every nation that finishes in the top two of their respective groups will automatically qualify for the final tournament in France. So will the best third-placed country, with the other third-place finishers entering a play-off.

But the qualifying process will serve as an excellent test for both squads to see how they develop going into the tournament. Switzerland have been consistently excellent for years now—England are young and rebuilding.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Much of the Swiss success was built on the foundations laid by the mercurial Ottmar Hitzfeld, and he was replaced by Vladimir Petkovic after the 2014 World Cup. Petkovic will be making his competitive debut as manager of Switzerland, so nobody knows what to expect on Monday.

St. Jakob-Park is a fortress for the hosts, but as shared by TV commentator Clive Tyldesley, England have excellent memories of the stadium:

Raheem Sterling is the in-form player for the visitors, putting together an excellent performance against Norway. He'll once again be called upon to work his magic, creating openings with his incisive running.

Xherdan Shaqiri will try to do the same for the Swiss, in what should be a very entertaining night of football.

Prediction: Switzerland 1-1 England

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