Switzerland will face Serbia (October 12) and Denmark (October 15) in their next Nations League games. Coach Murat Yakin announces his line-up and provides a surprise.
National coach Murat Yakin has called up midfielder Christian Witzig for the next two Nations League games for the first time. The 23-year-old Witzig earned his selection with strong performances for St. Gallen. He scored two goals and provided three assists in the first eight championship games of the season. He also scored in the Swiss Cup.
Compared to the two defeats in September against Denmark (0:2) and European champions Spain (1:4), goalkeeper Philipp Köhn (Monaco), Ulisses Garcia (Marseille), Cédric Zesiger (Wolfsburg), Edimilson Fernandes (Stade Brest), Dan Ndoye (Bologna) and Andi Zeqiri (Standard Liège) are included this time.
Ruben Vargas will not be available due to injury. The attacking player from Bundesliga club Augsburg suffered an ankle ligament injury in training. AC Milan's Noah Okafor was once again left out of the squad, but is on the standby list.
The Swiss will face Serbia in Leskovac on October 12. Three days later, they will welcome Denmark for a rematch in St. Gallen.
For the review: The media conference in the ticker
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Liveticker
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Liveticker closed
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The media conference is over
Then all questions are answered.
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The goalkeeper question
"Kobel is our number 1. He has also been included in the team squad. Mvogo is the backup goalkeeper."
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Witzig's reaction to the call-up
"He didn't pick up at first, then I left him a message. I then called him up. Then it was quiet on the phone for 10 seconds, as usual with new players. He thanked me and said that it was a great honor to be there."
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The playing system
"The system we play and the system on paper are always two different things. We're relatively well-rehearsed with Akanji in defense and Xhaka in midfield. I don't want to tear this axis apart. I'm only going to make a few changes to the system. We now have a few days to try things out."
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Mvogo back in the line-up
Murat Yakin explains: "We don't care whether a player plays in the second division. The important thing is that the players get to play. We really appreciate Yvon, he always puts us in a good mood."
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Xhaka's role against Serbia
"We've never discussed it. I think it's an old story, we don't want to reopen it. We're concentrating on what we can do well. We just want to play football, we can't influence anything else."
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Where will Edimilson Fernandes play?
"We have the necessary flexibility with the system. He has already played all possible positions. I think he deserves to be there with these performances. We will discuss his position with him in detail. We prefer him on the side, but of course he's flexible."
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Steffen is also missing
"He was also injured. We're taking the players who are in rhythm with us. That was the deciding factor," says Yakin.
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Vargas and Okafor not included
The injured Ruben Vargas is not in the squad. Noah Okafor is also not in the squad. Yakin explains: "The door is still open, but I wanted to give priority to other players who are in good form."
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Yakin on the Witzig line-up
"He has earned his nomination through his performances. He is a very strong runner. New players also deserve a chance. I want to give in-form players a chance."
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Witzig makes his first appearance for the national team
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Yakin announces squad
Switzerland will soon face Serbia (October 12) and Denmark (October 15) in the Nations League. Coach Murat Yakin is announcing his squad today.
