The EURO 2024 Quarter Final matchup between England and Switzerland could be a tale of two injuries. England’s Luke Shaw is fighting to be fit in time to start at left-back – a huge boost for Gareth Southgate’s side, while on the other hand, Granit Xhaka is desperately battling an adductor issue to be fit for the game – a huge blow to the Swiss team if he is missing.
England scraped through to the Quarter Finals of EURO 2024 thanks to a last minute equaliser from Jude Bellingham against Slovakia. The Real Madrid man’s incredible 95th minute overhead kick forced the game into extra time, and England kicked on from there with Harry Kane heading home the winner just 1 minute later. Bellingham and Kane’s heroics have set up a mouthwatering tie against Switzerland, who comfortably dispatched holders Italy in their last 16 match, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas.
England will be the favourites on paper going into the game, however based on what we’ve seen in the tournament from both teams so far, it would not be wise to count the Swiss out. Switzerland have been electric at EURO 2024 so far, scoring 7 goals in comparison to England’s 4. Many people tipped the Swiss to struggle, having failed to win their group in qualifying, and then being drawn in a group with Germany, Hungary and Scotland, however, Murat Yakin’s side have silenced any doubters with a host of fantastic performances.
Let’s take a deeper look at the injury news which is threatening to completely shake up this quarter final tie…
England Injury News: Shaw Fighting Long-Term Hamstring Injury
While Bellingham and Kane have grabbed the headlines for all the right reasons for England so far this tournament, a lot of the headlines have been negative, and major scrutiny has been placed on Gareth Southgate and his reasons for not taking another left-back to the tournament. Luke Shaw has been battling a hamstring injury since February, and many fans questioned the decision to name him as the only natural left back in the squad. In England’s games so far, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, and even Bukayo Saka have covered the left-back spot, with Shaw so far failing to make a single appearance. However, things could finally be looking up for England and Shaw, with the Manchester United defender expected to be fit, and in with a huge chance of starting the quarter final tie against Switzerland – even more so now that Kieran Trippier is also an injury doubt for the game.
Having Shaw back in the side should be a massive boost for England. This England team has been lacking that balance and that flow that we saw throughout the EURO 2020 campaign where they reached the final, and having a natural left footed left-back in the team will help this massively. Throughout the tournament so far we’ve seen attacks slow down due to players constantly cutting back in on their right foot to cross or pass inside, so having a natural left footed option down the left hand side should resolve a lot of these link-up issues between the defence and the attack.
The general hamstring injury recovery time is around 2-6 weeks, however constant set backs in his recovery has extended this injury nightmare for Luke Shaw. Thankfully for himself, Southgate took a gamble and included him in the final squad for the tournament, and England fans will be hoping now is the time for Shaw to pay back Southgate’s trust and belief in him.
Switzerland Injury News: Xhaka Adductor Strain
In the Swiss camp, a potential injury to star man Granit Xhaka could be a huge blow to Murat Yakin’s hopes of Switzerland qualifying for a first ever major tournament semi final. In a training ground penalty shootout before the Italy game, Xhaka felt pain in his left adductor, and stated the same pain returned towards the end of their 2-0 win. He will undergo an MRI scan ahead of the England game, and will be praying that he is given the green light to face England.
Xhaka has been integral to Switzerland’s good performances in EURO 2024, and after a superb season in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, he has brought this form into the tournament. Only a stoppage time equaliser from Germany’s Niclas Fullkrug stopped Switzerland from topping Group A, but they still had enough quality to comfortably dispatch holders Italy in the Round of 16. If Switzerland’s good form continues into this quarter final they could cause huge problems for an England side that are still yet to click into gear in this tournament.
However, a lot of this depends on whether Xhaka can successfully recover from this adductor muscle pain in time. If the former Arsenal star was to miss the England game, Switzerland’s hopes of progressing would take a huge blow. The usual recovery time of an adductor strain can be anywhere between 2-12 weeks depending on the severity, however, Switzerland fans, and Xhaka himself, will be hoping that the injury is nothing more than a niggle, and not a serious adductor strain. For minor tweaks and pains, performing groin exercises, or wearing a groin support can often be enough to help recover quickly, and Xhaka will be hoping that this is all that is required of him.
(Semi) Final Thoughts
By 8pm on Saturday night we should know whether England have successfully made it to another major tournament semi final under Gareth Southgate, or whether Switzerland will be gearing up for the first ever one in their history. With all the quality that will be on show from both sides in Dusseldorf this weekend, it really could come down to which team has the better rub of the green regarding injuries to seperate them.
England will be desperate to have Luke Shaw back fit, to add security and balance to the back 4 and their left hand side, especially with stand-out performer Marc Guehi suspended. For Switzerland, having talisman Granit Xhaka unavailable would be a major blow, and one which could end up costing them their place in the tournament, as the Leverkusen star has been a stand-out in both attacking and defensive metrics for this Swiss side.
Overall, here at PhysioRoom, while we are hopeful that Southgate and England can get the job done in Dusseldorf, our main concern is that both players are able to make a full recovery from their respective injuries. Dealing with injuries, and helping people through their recovery period is our main priority, so we are hopeful that both Shaw and Xhaka are fit to take part on Saturday, and that no other serious injury concerns arise ahead of the game.
For more injury news, advice, and products, make sure to check out the PhysioRoom website and blog pages. We have a wide range of injury supports, physiotherapy equipment, and sports equipment to guide you through the rehabilitation stage of an injury, as well as articles discussing different topics such as dealing with different injuries, recommending suitable injury supports, and the best physio exercises for different injuries.