Swiss national team coach Pia Sundhage has named 25 players for the two international matches against Australia and France at the end of October. Captain Lia Wälti is back for the first time after her knee injury.
Wälti injured her knee in training with her club Arsenal in mid-March and is now returning to the national team for the first time since the training camp in Marbella at the beginning of the year. The 119-time international has a fixed place in Sundhage's plans.
"Lia plays well at Arsenal, even if they don't win as much anymore. She will change the midfield a bit. But it will be exciting to see how she will make the players around her better," said the 64-year-old Swede.
Beney back for the first time since July 2023
In addition to Wälti, Sundhage has included five other returnees in the squad: Iman Beney, Lara Marti, Sandrine Mauron, Alayah Pilgrim and Noemi Benz. It is a return for 18-year-old Beney from Valais after she suffered a serious knee injury in training with the national team at the beginning of July 2023 and missed the World Championships in Australia and New Zealand as a result. "I have high expectations of Iman. It's great that she can be back and it helps that she's been involved before," said Sundhage about the YB player. Marti (Leipzig) and Pilgrim (AS Roma) are also returning from injuries.
Four games against top nations
The match against World Cup fourth-placed Australia will take place in Zurich on Friday, October 25. The game kicks off at 20:00. Four days later, Pia Sundhage's team will face France in Geneva (21:00). Later in the year, Switzerland will face Germany in Zurich (November 29) and European champions England away in Sheffield.
National coach Sundhage is looking forward to these four matches against top nations. "It's lucky for us to play against such good opponents. These teams are very different, so we can train different things and tactics. We have to be flexible. That will be very important at the European Championship, when it counts."
