England manager Gareth Southgate will need to make at least one change to the starting XI for the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland due to Marc Guehi’s suspension.
The Crystal Palace centre-back, 23, will miss the match as he serves a one-game suspension. Guehi has played every minute of England’s four matches in the tournament, one of only three outfield players (alongside Declan Rice, John Stones, and Kyle Walker, plus goalkeeper Jordan Pickford) to do so.
Including the two pre-tournament warm-up games he started, England have not played a match without Guehi since March. However, he will be absent for the Switzerland match, becoming the first England player to incur a suspension during the tournament.
Guehi received two yellow cards across the first four matches. The first yellow came midway through the second half of the final group-stage game against Slovenia for pulling Andraz Sporar’s shirt after a mix-up with Stones. The second yellow occurred three minutes into the last-16 match against Slovakia when Guehi fouled David Strelec following a poor back-pass from Kieran Trippier.
According to UEFA regulations, two yellow cards result in a one-match ban, which does not expire until after the quarter-finals. This means that Conor Gallagher, Jude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden, and Trippier risk missing a potential semi-final if they are booked against Switzerland.
Bellingham is eligible to play in the quarter-final after a UEFA investigation into a lewd gesture resulted in a suspended one-match ban and a £25,400 fine for “violating the basic rules of decent conduct.” However, if Bellingham receives another caution against Switzerland or if the suspended ban is enforced for any further violations, he would miss a potential semi-final.
