Country: Switzerland
Placed in Group E also featuring Brazil, Serbia and Costa Rica
Group E team analysis: Brazil
Fixtures:
Switzerland vs Brazil, June 17, at 11.30 pm (Rostov-on-Don)
Switzerland vs Serbia, June 22, at 11.30 pm (Kaliningrad)
Switzerland vs Costa Rica, June 27, at 11.30 pm (Nizhny Novgorod)
FIFA ranking: 6
Previous World Cup: Lost in the Round of 16 in 2014
Last appearance: 2014 (lost in round of 16 to Argentina)
Best finish: Quarterfinals (1934, 1938, 1954)
Star players: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Ricardo Rodriguez (Milan)
Coach: Vladimir Petkovic
Switzerland's road to the Russia World Cup wasn't exactly a memorable one. Despite entering the final of the Group stage with a 100 percent record, the Swiss team's qualification for the mega event was a gloomy one. Having lost to European champions Portugal in Lisbon, Vladimir Petkovic's team found themselves in the play-offs.
The match against Northern Ireland was a rain-sodden, controversy-marred affair, which finally saw Switzerland secure a world cup berth. The team, grouped with heavyweights Brazil, apart from Serbia and Costa Rica, would love to quickly put the memory of the play-offs match against Northern Ireland behind them as they embark on their eleventh World Cup campaign.
Diese 23 Spieler wurden von Nationaltrainer Vladimir Petkovic ins endgültige Kader für den @FIFAWorldCup berufen.#HoppSchwiiz #HopSuisse #ForzaSvizzera #HopSvizra 🇨🇭⚽️✌️#roadtorussia pic.twitter.com/07msySiqEu
— nationalteams_SFVASF (@SFV_ASF) June 4, 2018
Though Petkovic's side did not have a particularly smooth route to the World Cup, it would be foolish to completely write them off. The side won nine out of ten of their qualification games and having reached the knockout stage of the previous World Cup, they have a high chance of progressing from the group stages. If all goes well for Switzerland, then the team has a good chance of finishing 1-2 in the group after Brazil, of course.
While Petkovic's side boasts of a good blend of youth and experience, a major chunk of the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of their star player, Xherdan Shaqiri, who is also known as the 'Alpine Messi'. Moreover an experienced Manuel Akanji is another positive in the Swiss outfit. Apart from this, another prized player for the Swiss team is Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka. Though Xhaka had an injury scare ahead of the World Cup, he is expected to be fully fit.
Along with the trio, add AC Milan defender Ricardo Rodriguez to the blend. The accomplished defender, who is noted for his speciality in set piece situations and penalty-taking skills, helped Switzerland hold Spain 1-1 in their international friendly on Monday. Rodriguez along with Stephan Lichtsteiner make a formidable pair and support the attacks unsparingly, and is one of the strongest points of the Swiss side.
But there are factors which make the team a vulnerable one. Firstly, though Shaqiri is one of the stars of the team, the fact that he can be too ball-dominant could work against the team at times. But he still remains the team's best hope as forward Haris Seferovic hasn't been on the scoresheet for Benfica since October and has just 11 international goals to his name.
Also, Breel Embolo hasn't had a favourable season with Schalke and his inconsistency will be a cause for worry. All-in-all, apart from a handful of individual players the Swiss team does not have much to offer as a team.
Prediction: With a handful of stars in the team, Petkovic can hope of making it out of the group stages. Switzerland in all likelihood could finish second behind Brazil in the Group and then go on to face defending champions Germany in the round-of-16. No points for guessing, their most interesting match to watch in the group stages would be the opener against Brazil on June 17.
Team-by-team analysis
| Tunisia | England" title="Belgium | Panama | Tunisia | England" />Belgium | Panama | Tunisia | England
| Colombia | Japan" title="Poland | Senegal | Colombia | Japan" />Poland | Senegal | Colombia | Japan
| Mexico | South Korea" title="Sweden | Germany | Mexico | South Korea" />Sweden | Germany | Mexico | South Korea
Group Analysis
Group E analysis (Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Costa Rica)
Group F analysis (Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea)
Group G analysis (Belgium, Panama, England, Tunisia)
Group H analysis (Poland, Japan, Colombia, Senegal)