On Saturday evening, Switzerland will face Sweden in Geneva for the second-to-last World Cup qualifier. Manuel Akanji answers questions from the media on Thursday morning.
Switzerland could take the next big step towards World Cup qualification in the match against Sweden. For Manuel Akanji, it is important not to underestimate the opponents, even if direct qualification is no longer possible for them.
"It's still about the play-offs for them. They will certainly come to give it their all," said the central defender in a press conference on Thursday morning. "With the new coach, they'll have a surprise effect because we don't know how they'll perform."
He knows the new Sweden coach, Graham Potter, from his time at Manchester City. When he was at Chelsea, the two teams met in the 2022/2023 season. But Akanji has few memories of that.
He was more troubled by the defeat against Sweden in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup. "It wasn't easy to digest. It was my first major tournament. We played a good group stage and then showed our worst game at the most important moment."
If Switzerland play a better game against Sweden on Saturday, they could almost be through to the World Cup qualifiers. Akanji isn't thinking about that just yet, even if his third World Cup appearance beckons. "I won the Champions League with City, representing your nation at a final tournament is bigger than the CL final. You get to feel the support of the whole country - that's special."
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