Berlin, 29 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Italy centre back Alessandro Bastoni is set to play in the Euro 2024 last-16 clash with Switzerland in Berlin on Saturday after recovering from a fever but left back Federico Dimarco misses out.

The 25-year-old Bastoni, one of the stand-out defenders of the Euros so far, trained for only part of the session on Friday. Dimarco has a calf problem and could be replaced by Matteo Darmian.

Coach Luciano Spalletti told a news conference: "Bastoni should be OK. He trained and this made us breathe a sigh of relief. Dimarco will not be available, he will not play. We will play with something that resembles a back four."

Spalletti played about with his starting team during the group phase and will have to make at least one other change given defender Riccardo Calafiori is out through suspension.

Spalletti is likely to field 28-year-old Gianluca Mancini as Calafiori's replacement.

The coach does not reveal his team beforehand but wants to see more flowing football after a last-gasp leveller against Croatia rubber-stamped progression to the last 16.

"We have to do more than we have done so far," Spalletti said. "The tournament draw put us into a tough group and the players struggled with that. Now I expect to see the players a little more relaxed because it's a knockout match.

"There are no permutations - the time is now. We can only make it to the next round if we win this game."

Italy face their northern neighbours in the Berlin Olympiastadion where they lifted the 2006 World Cup.

Captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is expecting a tough game against a Swiss side who beat France at this stage at the last Euros.

"They are a very physically fit team who get their shape right on the pitch so we need to do be able to vary things," he said.

"Sometimes you have to play it out from the back and some times you have to hit it long. We know they are very aggressive. We need to make as few mistakes as possible. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be involved in matches like these."

Photo: MIA Archive