Can Switzerland write fresh history against Spain?

Switzerland have beaten Spain just once in 22 meetings but showed against France that they are thrillingly capable of an upset. Switzerland wrote history once against France; now they want to pen a whole new chapter when they face Spain in Saint Petersburg tonight.

Beating world champions France in a truly dramatic EURO 2020 round of 16 tie was epic for the Nati.

History clearly favouring Spain, a new-look side almost wholly revamped under the guidance of Luis Enrique but Monday's action taught everyone to take nothing for granted, as Spain discovered when leading Croatia 3-1 with five minutes to go, only to have to play extra time; Switzerland made a similar comeback against France before winning on penalties, their first triumph in a major tournament knockout match since the 1938 World Cup, before the inaugural EURO had even been played.

Spain have not been at their best this summer, drawing their first two fixtures with Sweden and Poland, but they put five goals past Slovakia in their final group match before scoring another five against Croatia, and La Roja must be taken seriously in this competition due to the other sides that have been eliminated.

Switzerland will certainly not want a repeat of their last World Cup knockout game: a 1-0 round of 16 loss to Sweden at this stadium in St Petersburg in 2018.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Exactly a year ago, a small, slender 17-year-old midfielder was trying to prevent Las Palmas, who were hovering six points above the relegation zone, from dropping into Spain's third division.

The name of the Canary Islands-born kid toiling away for the islanders was Pedro Gonzalez Lopez. Everybody knows him now as Pedri.

Despite the fact he's still only 18, and still completing his breakthrough season in senior football, that same boyish gem is one of only three of Luis Enrique's squad – Unai Simon and Aymeric Laporte the others – to have played all 390 minutes of Spain's EURO 2020 campaign so far.

Talented teenage tyros are not a new phenomenon. Usually, however, their emergence will be down to something remarkable such as power or pace – boys in age, men in stature. Not Pedri. He plays like an experienced, decorated senior pro.

It should be implausible for anybody so young, so inexperienced and so physically slight to possess such supernatural game intelligence, peripheral vision and first touch, not to mention the innate bravery to want the ball all the time.

Pedri began the tournament as the youngest Spanish player to appear at a EURO and briefly became the youngest from anywhere to start a knockout game.