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• Spalletti expects calmer Italy in Euro 2024 last-16 clash with Switzerland

  Luciano Spalletti believes Italy may start to relax and improve at Euro 2024 as the knockout stages await on Saturday.

  The Azzurri will return to Berlin's Olympiastadion where they lifted the World Cup in 2006, facing Switzerland in the last 16 after an unconvincing Group B progression for Spalletti's side.

  Italy had to come from behind to defeat Albania, were outclassed by Spain and then needed last-gasp heroics to draw 1-1 with Croatia and progress in second place.

  Yet Spalletti sees his players calming down for the knockout rounds, having struggled for portions of the group stages in Germany.

  "We had this difficult group and you could tell the pressure was on the players, and on me," Spalletti said at Friday's pre-match press conference. 

  "Now we are through this group, I expect to see the team more relaxed because you cannot make calculations in a knockout round, the kind of mindset that can affect your performance in the group phase.

  "We will only go through if we win this game, otherwise we won't, so we need to focus like that. There are no permutations."

  A strong history remains between Italy and the stadium in Berlin, dating back to 18 years ago when the Azzurri beat France on penalties in the World Cup final after Zinedine Zidane was sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi.

  "Everyone remembers that moment in Berlin, but we had Gigi Buffon with us on the bus and he talked to all of us about that situation, helping us to experience what we had only seen from home," Spalletti added.

  "We know there is this memory to be honoured, that we must be at the level of those players who brought home the trophy in this stadium.

  "We have the responsibility of knowing we have fans all over the world. Even if against Albania and Croatia we were in the minority in the stadium, we knew that all our fans were there in front of their televisions pushing us on.

  "We can feel it anyway, even if they are not physically present."

  Spalletti confirmed his side will be without wing-back Federico Dimarco on Saturday, while Riccardo Calafiori is out suspended after two cautions in the group stages.

  Italy also have concerns over Alessandro Bastoni's fitness, with Nicolo Fagioli appearing likely to get the nod ahead of Jorginho in midfield as well.

  "Bastoni needs to be evaluated, he had a bit of training today, which allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief," Spalletti continued. "Dimarco cannot recover, he is out.

  "We will play with something that resembles a four-man defence because we must try to be more attacking than what we've seen so far.

  "You have young talent pushing and we must create the space that they deserve. Fagioli has this natural, calm way of doing things, so seems perfectly suited to that role.

  "It's just about having the courage to give him that space."

• England criticism stems from high expectations, says defiant Gordon

  Anthony Gordon acknowledged England must improve to "give people what they want to see" as the winger suggested criticism stems from high expectations.

  The Newcastle United forward is yet to start at Euro 2024 but has impressed from the bench, albeit in underwhelming England performances.

  Gareth Southgate's side topped Group C to set up a last-16 meeting with Slovakia on Sunday, though draws against Denmark and Slovenia, and an unconvincing win against Serbia has added scrutiny.

  An honest appraisal from Gorden suggests England are well aware of their shortfalls so far, though the 23-year-old expects his team to respond in Gelsenkirchen.

  "I don't really care about stuff like that, I actually think of it in a positive way," Gordon said at Friday's pre-match press conference.

  "If people are being negative it's only because they expect a lot from you, which is a positive thing.

  "If we want that to stop, we just need to perform and give people what they want to see."

  Some sections of the travelling England support jeered Southgate at full-time after the goalless draw with Slovenia on Tuesday, though Gordon again came away with credibility.

  Manchester United and Three Lions great Wayne Rooney insisted Gordon should be brought into the starting XI for the last-16 clash after some fine cameos from the substitutes bench.

  His form for Newcastle has caught the eye as well, with the former Everton man managing 12 goals and 11 assists in 48 games across all competitions this season.

  Yet Gordon says he is not the type of player to go knocking on Southgate's door to demand more minutes.

  "I just like to try my best and control the controllable," Gordon said.

  "I think if I train to the very best of my ability, do the best I can every day, that's my way of giving him a headache in terms of selection, and the rest I can't control.

  "Try my best and make selection as hard for him as I possibly can. When or if I'm needed, I'll be more than ready."

• With or without you: Should Southgate drop Foden and does Ronaldo deserve his place?

  With the group stages behind us, Euro 2024 now enters the business end of the tournament, when there's no more margin for error.

  The favourites are all through in the main, with Croatia the biggest name to drop out in the group stage.

  There are some surprise packages that have made the last 16 too, though: tournament debutants Georgia stunned Portugal to reach this stage, while Austria finished above France and the Netherlands to top Group D.

  But as the tournament goes on, there are some serious questions being asked of the respective coaches when it comes to team selections, while other players nurse knocks ahead of the knockouts.

  And here, using Opta data, we take a look at some of those selection dilemmas.

   

  Should Southgate drop Foden and can Shaw stay fit?

  Phil Foden came into Euro 2024 on the back of a magnificent season for Manchester City. He was named the Premier League Player of the Year, scoring 19 goals in 35 top-flight appearances in 2023-24.

  Yet playing out on the left side of England's attack, with Jude Bellingham deployed centrally, Foden has failed to replicate that form for the Three Lions.

  Anthony Gordon directly contributed to 21 Premier League goals for Newcastle United (11 goals, 10 assists), and appears able to offer the kind of directness that seems to be missing from England's attack.

  Gordon would seemingly replace Foden if he were to start, so what is England's recent record at major tournaments without the City star?

   

  Foden has featured in 10 games at the World Cup and Euros for England, who have won six of those games, drawing three and losing one. They score 1.8 goals per game with him in the team compared to 1.6 in the five tournament matches in which he has not featured.

  Defensively, England do seem a little more solid when Foden does not feature, with their goals conceded per game dropping from 0.6 with him in, to 0.2 without the 24-year-old.

  Behind Foden, though, the left-back position is an issue. Luke Shaw has not played for club or country since February, but Kieran Trippier has failed to offer the same attacking output or balance while deputising, and could be an injury doubt ahead of England's clash with Slovakia.

  The sense of Southgate in taking an unfit Shaw can certainly be questioned, though when factoring in major tournaments only, you can understand why.

  England have a 58.3% win percentage (7/12) when Shaw is in the team compared to a 35.3% (6/17) success rate when he is not, while conceding double the amount of goals per 90 without Shaw (1.0 to 0.5).

  Does Ronaldo deserve Martinez's backing?

  Cristiano Ronaldo is the record appearance maker (28) and goalscorer (14) at the Euros, but at 39, should he be spearheading Portugal's attack?

   

  Ronaldo failed to score from 12 shots in the group stage, as for the first time at a major tournament, he did not manage to hit the back of the net in the first round.

  The Al-Nassr striker scored 10 goals from qualifying, but against more resilient defences, he has found it tougher, and against Georgia he was kept quiet, though he did spurn one Opta-defined 'big chance'.

  Ronaldo's appearance against Georgia marked his 50th such match at a major tournament, a European record, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner having only sat out two fixtures at a World Cup or Euros since 2004. Portugal have a 46% win ratio with him in their team in major competitions, but is it time to cut the cord?

   

  France need Mbappe's magic

  Kylian Mbappe recovered from a broken nose to play, while donning a mask, for France against Poland last time out, and it was his penalty that put Les Bleus ahead before Robert Lewandowski equalised from the spot.

  That marked Mbappe's first goal at the Euros, while he is now just one behind Michel Platini (14) in France's all-time list of record goalscorers at major tournaments.

  France recorded 2.32 xG against Poland, with Mbappe accounting for 1.31 of that. In the match that he missed, a 0-0 draw against the Netherlands, Les Bleus mustered only 1.43 xG, showing how much Mbappe was missed.

  Missing out

  There are some big players who definitely will not be featuring in the last 16, and that is due to the fact they are suspended after picking up two yellow cards throughout the group stage.

  Italy's Riccardo Calafiori has been one of the stars of the tournament, but the Bologna defender will not play against Switzerland on Saturday.

  Hosts Germany will also be without a key defender in Jonathan Tah.

  This campaign has been Tah's first at a major tournament, but the Bayer Leverkusen centre-back has been impressive so far and will be a miss when Germany go up against Denmark.

  Turkiye, meanwhile, will have to play Austria without Hakan Calhanoglu.

  The Inter playmaker has only missed one match for his country at a major tournament, though Turkiye did win that one, but facing in-form Austria without their best player is a daunting prospect.