[ad_1]
There is a familiar feeling to Switzerland’s World Cup group as they renew relations with Brazil and Serbia having faced them four years ago in Russia.
Cameroon join those countries to form one what appears to be one of the most difficult groups in Qatar, whose hosting of the tournament is controversial for the reasons outlined in this article.
Switzerland are a side that have consistently punched above their weight at on the big stages, having progressed from their group at their last four major tournaments.
The European nation will be hoping to count on their trusted international veterans to guide them on a memorable journey.
The spine of the side has remained pretty consistent, with Yann Sommer in goal, Granit Xhaka in midfield and Xherdan Shaqiri pulling the strings in attack. A number of Switzerland’s squad are beginning to age but alongside their wealth of experience there will be hope for 25-year-old forward Breel Embolo to be an important, energetic figure in the side, as well as excitement over 22-year-old Noah Okafor.
Respectable draws against European champions Italy set the foundations for Switzerland to impressively qualify for Qatar as Group C winners before sealing their spot at the end of their unbeaten campaign with an emphatic 4-0 win over Bulgaria.
Switzerland defeated Cameroon 1-0 in the opening Group G matchup Thursday.
GO DEEPER
Switzerland team guide: Raised expectations – can they upset the odds again?
Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Kohn (RB Salzburg), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier), Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach);
Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Manchester City), Eray Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle United), Silvan Widmer (Mainz);
Midfielders: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Fabian Frei (Basel), Remo Freuler (Nottingham Forest), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Fabian Rieder (Young Boys), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Djibril Sow (Eintracht Frankfurt), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Denis Zakaria (Chelsea), Michel Aebischer (Bologna);
Forwards: Breel Embolo (Monaco), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Noah Okafor (RB Salzburg), Haris Seferovic (Galatasaray), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg).
Switzerland’s World Cup fixtures and results
Thursday, November 24: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon
Monday, November 28: Brazil vs Switzerland
Friday, December 2: Serbia vs Switzerland
Switzerland squad analysis
Switzerland confounded the experts by reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 last year, beating pre-tournament ‘dark horses’ Turkey and then world champions France along the way. They head to Qatar with expectations higher than ever, although merely progressing from a group also containing Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon won’t be easy…
For a full analysis of their chances in Qatar, click here.
Meet The Athletic’s guest writers for the World Cup
GO DEEPER
World Cup provisional squads explained
(Photo: Getty Images)
[ad_2]
