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Report nowBreel Embolo celebrated his debut as national team captain against Northern Ireland. On Tuesday against Luxembourg, another player will lead the team for the first time. Murat Yakin is not naming names, but is giving pretty clear indications.
Miro Muheim celebrates his 27th birthday today, Monday. Murat Yakin reveals to a reporter at the press conference before the Luxembourg game that he will give the HSV mercenary a belated present on Tuesday and send him onto the pitch from the start. "I'm glad the captain question wasn't asked straight away," smiled the national team coach afterwards.
But who will lead the national team onto the pitch on Tuesday? It won't be Breel Embolo, who wore the armband for the first time against Northern Ireland on Friday. Yakin reveals that Embolo will not be in the starting eleven against Luxembourg. Neither will Gregor Kobel and Ricardo Rodriguez. The actual captain Granit Xhaka and his deputy Manuel Akanji are also missing. Remo Freuler (78 caps) is also absent due to flu.
"The player with the most caps will be captain," says Yakin. And turns the captain question into a riddle: "There are only two possible candidates. One with 50 caps and one with 57 caps." Ruben Vargas has 51 appearances for the national team, Denis Zakaria 57. One of them will wear the armband on Tuesday.
Denis Zakaria or Ruben Vargas - one of them will be captain of the national team for the first time on Tuesday against Luxembourg.
Keystone
Zakaria is probably the favorite because he has a few more caps under his belt than Vargas, is a little more experienced and has already captained Monaco. However, it is possible that Zakaria will not be on the pitch from the start, in which case the choice will fall on the 26-year-old Vargas.
