Switzerland were defeated 2-0 in their opening Nations League fixture against Denmark, thanks to late goals from Patrick Dorgu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. They received two red cards in that game, meaning both Nico Elvedi and captain Granit Xhaka will be absent against Spain.

Since his promotion to manage the first team, Luis de la Fuente has a 74% win-rate as Spain manager, with 17 wins from 23 games. That includes seven wins from seven at Euro 2024, as La Roja beat the likes of Italy, Germany, France and England.

Spain made history in that competition by scoring 15 goals, the most of any nation in the tournament. They will now turn their attention to their defence of their Nations League honours, having won the competition in the previous campaign.

Lamine Yamal managed at least two shots in five out of six games at Euro 2024. The only game he failed, was against Italy in the first group stage match – he had one shot but was subbed after 73 minutes.

Against Serbia, Yamal had four shots, notably picking up some great positions when inverting from the right wing onto his stronger left foot. He played the full 90 minutes in that game as Spain were chasing a winning goal, with Spain seeming to bias attacks to the right flank.

Switzerland conceded 17 shots in their previous game against Denmark, with Albert Gronbaek accumulating four shots from the right-wing.

Although Switzerland finished the game with nine men, Denmark still managed eight shots in the first half when the Swiss had a full contingent – Gronbaek contributed three of these attempts. Lamine Yamal will now occupy a similar zone to him, which bodes well.

Without Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler is set to have a massive role in the heart of midfield for Switzerland, and will likely play the full 90. Denis Zakaria is the most likely candidate to start alongside him.

Freuler made ten fouls in five Euro 2024 games, with at least one foul in every game at the tournament. The Bologna man also made four fouls against Denmark, managing to escape a card. He was also carded just once at the Euros, which shows how his fouls are not cynical, but more as a result of pressing higher up the field.

Freuler has made five fouls in three Serie A games so far, averaging 1.7 fouls per game. That record is not too dissimilar from last campaign, as he played in 32 games, averaging 1.4 fouls per game. Against the likes of Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo, Freuler is set for a tough task ahead.

Robin Le Normand was Spain’s most frequent offender in terms of fouls during Euro 2024, committing an infringement in five of the six matches he played. The only game in which he didn’t commit a foul was the final against England. Over the tournament, Le Normand averaged 1.5 fouls per game – only Alvaro Morata had a higher average (1.71)

Spain’s possession-based, high-pressing play style regularly isolated Le Normand against opposition strikers, forcing him into difficult defensive situations. The Atletico Madrid man now draws a tough matchup against Breel Embolo, who invites physical contact and duels. Embolo drew eight fouls in his recent game against Denmark, and drew six fouls from three starts at Euro 2024.

Le Normand committed three fouls against Serbia in the opening Nations League game, and was booked. He was extremely aggressive and willing to duel, at times pressing well into the opposition half.

Spain scored 15 goals in seven games at Euro 2024, which wrote their name in the history books as no other nation has scored more at the European Championships. After a flawless group stage campaign, Spain conceded in all four of their knockout games.

Spain looked a bit vulnerable in transition against a depleted Serbian outfit. They conceded nine shots despite having the vast majority of possession. Luka Jovic also missed a huge chance in the first-half, which would have given his nation the lead.

Both teams got on the scoresheet in four out of five games for Switzerland at Euro 2024. The only game that failed was a surprise 2-0 victory over Italy in the round of 16. Switzerland will be without key players, but have generally fared much better on home turf. From the Euro qualifiers, Switzerland were unbeaten in all five games, scoring an average of 2.4 goals per game.

Lamine Yamal lit up the stage at Euro 2024, recording four assists across the tournament – the highest in the competition. His standout performances at just 17 years old earned him the prestigious Young Player of the Tournament award.

Yamal provided assists against Croatia in the group stage, followed by Georgia, Germany, and most notably, England in the final. He also scored against France in the semi-final. Yamal has already registered four assists in four games domestically for Barcelona. Since returning from his summer break, Yamal has become one of Hansi Flick’s key players, averaging 89 minutes per game.

In his latest domestic outing, Yamal created three big chances, contributing two assists as Barcelona dominated Real Valladolid with a 7-0 win. Against Serbia, Yamal was unlucky not to pick up a goal involvement, as he registered three key passes, and one big chance created. The vast majority of attacks came through him, and he was also the allocated set-piece taker, responsible for both corners and free-kicks.

Ruben Vargas had at least two shots in two out of four games at Euro 2024, failing against Italy and England in respective knockout games. Prior to that, Vargas had at least one shot in nine out of ten Euro qualifying games.

Following the red card to Nico Elvedi, Vargas was substituted after 53 minutes to make way for centre back Gregory Wuthrich. He accounted for one shot in that time, out of just five Switzerland shots in total.

Serbia managed nine shots against Spain despite seeing just 26% possession. They were not at their best, which Switzerland will look to take advantage of. Against Spain, Switzerland will have to be efficient in transition, which makes Vargas a real target here with his pace.

Vargas has played just 45 minutes of domestic football for Augsburg this season, but managed two shots in that time. Last season, he averaged 1.6 shots per game in the Bundesliga.

Michel Aebischer drew at least one foul in four out of five games at Euro 2024, averaging 1.4 fouls drawn per 90. He also drew two fouls recently against Denmark, and has a tendency to invite pressure and go down easily to buy free-kicks.

Veljko Birmancevic drew three fouls playing in a similar wingback role against Spain in their Nations League opener. As Spain seemed to focus attacks down their right flank, Birmancevic was heavily involved, and would often buy fouls to relieve pressure. Aebischer might look to do something similar.

Spain deploying a high press led to some extremely high foul counts at Euro 2024, as La Roja averaged 13.4 fouls per game. They made at least nine fouls in every game, with 14 or more landing in four out of seven. Yamal contributed to seven fouls in his six starts. He also made two fouls against Serbia, and was booked in the previous game. That record certainly bodes well, given that he will match up directly against Aebischer.