Lots of news to kick off the new year: The Nati will present various new players and a new captain tonight at Windsor Park in Belfast, while SRF will probably have a new line-up. What you need to know about the Nati kick-off.
Ruefer is going to be a dad - blue Sport has learned: Sascha Ruefer (53) will not be present at the first international match of the year in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. The reason is a nice one: the SRF commentator and his partner Eliane Müller (34) are about to become parents. The SRF plan: If the baby is born during the day, it is planned that Ruefer will commentate on the test match from Zurich on TV. If not, Mario Gehrer will take his place at the microphone. This is Ruefer and Müller's first child together. The TV personality and the singer live together in Schenkon LU and run the Weinerei bar in Geuensee. They once met professionally and later met again. Müller and Ruefer made their love official in March 2022.
Baltermia freestyles - National team reporter Jeff Baltermia is also not on site for once. The Basel native is on assignment for SRF at the Freestyle World Championships in the Engadin. Felix Renggli is taking over the interviews at Windsor Park in Belfast.
Chocolate as a thank you - in 2021, Murat Yakin sent nine kilograms of chocolate to Belfast after Northern Ireland's 0-0 draw against Italy and the national team's qualification for the World Cup. A Northern Irish journalist has not forgotten the kind gesture and asks for another gift. Yakin is cool: "I hope you enjoyed the chocolate. There will be no presents on the pitch, even if it is a test match. The better team should win." Better? Switzerland should undoubtedly be. At 40 million euros, Gregor Kobel 's market value alone is almost as high as that of Northern Ireland's entire 26-man squad (42 million).
Debutants' ball - Six Swiss players could make their debuts at Windsor Park today. They are Isaac Schmidt, Alvyn Sanches, Lucas Blondel, Stefan Gartenmann, Albian Hajdari and goalkeeper Pascal Loretz. Yakin: "I'd like to see them all, but we're only allowed to rotate six players. One or two of them will get their chance, even from the start."
Winless streak - A win would certainly do the Nati soul good. The last one was many months ago. Since the sensational 2:0 in the round of 16 against Italy at the European Championship in June, they have gone seven games without a win. This negative streak should be ended as quickly as possible.
Tight record - However, it won't be a walkover against the Northern Irish. Their record in the 8 head-to-head matches so far: 3 wins, 3 draws, 2 defeats.
While we're on the subject of opponents, here's a little digression:
The most famous Northern Irishmen
- George Best (footballer; 1946 - 2005)
- Van Morrison (musician; 1945)
- Liam Neeson (actor; 1952)
- Betty Williams (peace activist; 1943 - 2020)
- Rory McIlroy (golfer; 1989)
Freuler questionable - One question mark remains. Remo Freuler skipped the final training session in Faro on Thursday morning with a flu, but he has nevertheless made the trip to Northern Ireland. Even if Yakin won't make a decision until match day, the tendency is clear: the Bologna mercenary is unlikely to be on the match sheet.
New captain - Breel Embolo will lead the national team onto the pitch as captain. In the absence of Granit Xhaka, he will wear the captain's armband. Yakin: "The fact that he will be captain is also a credit to his great international performances recently." Embolo is proud, saying: "I never dreamed I'd be captain. Granit wants to play every second and that's good for us. But now he's missing and that's also an opportunity for others in this position. With Sierro, Freuler and Zakaria, we have three players who are outstanding."
Hardly any goals - The Swiss have scored just 5 goals against Northern Ireland so far. The goalscorers: Steven Zuber and Christian Fassnacht (both 2021), Ricardo Rodriguez (2017), and Quentin and Kuhn (both 1964). The match will be refereed by the Swede Mohammed al-Hakim, a FIFA referee since 2015.
A familiar fixture for the Swiss national team: Switzerland will face Northern Ireland for the eighth time this Friday.
Image: KEYSTONE
On October 9, 2021, Steven Zuber scored the 1:0 for Switzerland in the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland at the Stade de Genève. His goal left Jordan Thompson and the Northern Irish behind. The Swiss dominated their home game in the World Cup qualifiers and secured the three points with a commanding performance.
Image: KEYSTONE
On September 8, 2021, Northern Ireland and Switzerland met in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers at Windsor Park, Belfast. Daniel Ballard fought an intense duel with Steven Zuber. A hard-fought away match ends goalless as the Swiss offense fails to break down the defensively strong Northern Irish team.
Image: KEYSTONE
In the 2018 World Cup play-off second leg between Switzerland and Northern Ireland at St. Jakob-Park, Basel, on November 12, 2017, Jamie Ward fought a tough duel with Ricardo Rodriguez. Switzerland defended the first leg result and secured their World Cup ticket with a focused defensive performance.
Image: KEYSTONE
Jamie Ward and Xherdan Shaqiri battled for the ball in the first leg of the 2018 World Cup play-off between Northern Ireland and Switzerland at Windsor Park, Belfast, on November 9, 2017. A controversial penalty from Ricardo Rodriguez gives Switzerland a narrow but valuable away win in the play-off first leg.
Image: KEYSTONE
On August 18, 2004, in a friendly match against Northern Ireland at the Hardturm in Zurich, Johann Vogel went down after a foul. The Swiss captain was writhing in pain and had to be substituted shortly afterwards. An uneventful friendly match with no other major highlights ended goalless.
Image: KEYSTONE
A familiar fixture for the Swiss national team: Switzerland will face Northern Ireland for the eighth time this Friday.
Image: KEYSTONE
On October 9, 2021, Steven Zuber scored the 1:0 for Switzerland in the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland at the Stade de Genève. His goal left Jordan Thompson and the Northern Irish behind. The Swiss dominated their home game in the World Cup qualifiers and secured the three points with a commanding performance.
Image: KEYSTONE
On September 8, 2021, Northern Ireland and Switzerland met in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers at Windsor Park, Belfast. Daniel Ballard fought an intense duel with Steven Zuber. A hard-fought away match ends goalless as the Swiss offense fails to break down the defensively strong Northern Irish team.
Image: KEYSTONE
In the 2018 World Cup play-off second leg between Switzerland and Northern Ireland at St. Jakob-Park, Basel, on November 12, 2017, Jamie Ward fought a tough duel with Ricardo Rodriguez. Switzerland defended the first leg result and secured their World Cup ticket with a focused defensive performance.
Image: KEYSTONE
Jamie Ward and Xherdan Shaqiri battled for the ball in the first leg of the 2018 World Cup play-off between Northern Ireland and Switzerland at Windsor Park, Belfast, on November 9, 2017. A controversial penalty from Ricardo Rodriguez gives Switzerland a narrow but valuable away win in the play-off first leg.
Image: KEYSTONE
On August 18, 2004, in a friendly match against Northern Ireland at the Hardturm in Zurich, Johann Vogel went down after a foul. The Swiss captain was writhing in pain and had to be substituted shortly afterwards. An uneventful friendly match with no other major highlights ended goalless.
Image: KEYSTONE
