Switzerland vs. England: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
England and Switzerland meet on Monday evening with the aim of getting their Euro 2016 qualification campaigns off to the brightest possible start, a fixture that promises to heavily dictate Group E's running order.
Without a win in Basel, Roy Hodgson's men will be at a strict disadvantage in their bid to make it to Paris, last week's 1-0 friendly win over Norway not seen as an encouraging warm-up for Monday's bout.
Ahead of the qualification opener, we provide all the essential viewing information for the clash, along with preview of which players and absences are most likely to impact the encounter.
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Date: Monday, September 8
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), FOXSoccer2GO (US)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox Sports 1 (US)
Sturridge's Injury Impact
England's lack of presence on the Norwegian goal last week was seen as a particular negative about the Three Lions' play, and news of Daniel Sturridge's injury ruling him out of Monday's fixture doesn't improve those hopes.
The Liverpool striker confirmed that he'd be missing for Monday's clash through his personal Twitter account, with Hodgson now facing a decision in how to alter his line-up:
Danny Welbeck is also known to be carrying a slight knock, while Wayne Rooney and Rickie Lambert offer alternative options in the central striking role.
Sturridge has been his manager's go-to selection up front for the past year, and it may be that the pressure is in fact placed upon the defence to do their job in foreign territory in order to counteract any shortcomings in attack.
Key Battle
Valon Behrami versus Wayne Rooney
Sturridge's injury does place an inevitable burden on Rooney to pick up the pieces of Hodgson's attack, whether it be through occupying the most advanced role himself or supplying the means for goals from deep.
However, in either scenario the captain is likely to take up residence in the centre of the pitch for long stretches, a portion of the pitch that Switzerland's Valon Behrami likes to run the rule over.
A summer move from Napoli to Hamburg may suggest the midfielder's standards have dropped of late, but Ross Dunbar of DW Sports suggests the Bundesliga is proving accommodating for the anchorman:
At the 2014 World Cup, Behrami stood out as one of Switzerland's key figures as they kept Argentina down to a tame 1-0 win.
Rooney will hope to have more of an influence in attack than he did against Norway at Wembley, but his marker is likely to prove troublesome in allowing any room for comfort.
