Swiss national team coach Murat Yakin is looking forward to the away game in Slovenia
Keystone
The second half of the World Cup qualifiers begins for the Swiss national team on Monday. In the away game against Slovenia, coach Murat Yakin is only a little concerned about the condition of the pitch.
Three games, three wins. Nine goals scored, zero conceded. So far, the national team has impressed with its consistency. And Yakin is not worried that this could change ahead of the away game against Slovenia. The team’s focus is still the same as it was at the start, says the national coach at the press conference in Ljubljana. “The boys know what’s at stake,” says Yakin. “You can feel it every second – in the hotel, in the dressing room and on the pitch. They manage to combine the joy of playing with the necessary seriousness.”
The 51-year-old is leaving it open this time as to whether he will field the same starting line-up against Slovenia for the fourth time in a row. We’ll have to wait for the final training session and manage the workload, says Yakin. If everyone is fit, there is again no reason to change the recipe for success so far.
There is, however, one change to the squad: Isaac Schmidt is still suffering from pain following a bruised foot and will miss Monday’s game. The Werder Bremen right-back left the club on Sunday. As a precautionary measure, Yakin had already called up Zachary Athekame from the U21s to the senior national team on Saturday. Should Silvan Widmer be unavailable, however, Yakin could also call on Luca Jaquez, who came on for Widmer against Sweden.
The national team is a little worried about the condition of the pitch. It is so bad that the teams have had to move to the stadium’s secondary pitches for the final training sessions. However, Yakin can look ahead to the match with confidence, as Switzerland can secure their place at the World Cup finals with a win and some help from Sweden.
The possible line-ups
Slovenia – Switzerland
Monday, 20.45 hrs. – Ljubljana. – Referee Zwayer (GER).
Slovenia: Oblak; Brekalo, Bijol, Drkusic; Stojanovic, Cerin, Elsnik, Seslar, Karnicnik; Gradisar, Sesko.
Switzerland: Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Xhaka, Freuler; Vargas, Rieder, Ndoye; Embolo.
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