Germany expects to win the group Will the Nati play spoilsport against its big neighbor?

It's the long-awaited duel: on Sunday, the Swiss national team will face the host and "big neighbor" Germany in the last group match.

Press conferences will be held in Stuttgart and Herzogenaurach on Friday. In Stuttgart, Swiss international Ricardo Rodriguez will face the media and the first questions will be about the upcoming match against Germany. "It's the topic for us," says the 31-year-old defender. "It will certainly be a difficult game, but we're all looking forward to it and are ready for it."

It's a different story in Herzogenaurach, where players Chris Führich and Deniz Undav show up for the appointment. According to "Kicker", it takes a whole 23 minutes before a question about Switzerland is asked for the first time - by a Swiss reporter, no less, who is surprised at the lack of interest in the upcoming opponent. "Of course we're interested in Switzerland," Undav is quoted as saying. "We have a meeting coming up, then another one tomorrow - and then we'll have the game plan for the match."

The two excerpts aptly characterize the upcoming duel. Germany, on the one hand, are already expecting to win the group and are more concerned with the opponents who could get in their way in the knockout phase. On the other side are the "little Swiss", who want to upset the favorites.

Swiss with plenty of Bundesliga experience

This imbalance follows a certain logic. Germany, with a population of around 85 million, is almost ten times larger than Switzerland and has always been the "big neighbor". And for Swiss footballers in particular, it is often the first port of call when they want to take their career to the next level with the famous "step abroad".

This was also the case for Rodriguez, who moved from FC Zurich to Wolfsburg in January 2012. The fact that the language remains (almost) the same and there is little cultural change was one reason, he explains. With this prerequisite, the next step in his career is somewhat more pleasant. However, in Felix Magath, Rodriguez initially met a coach who is known for his tough training. "That was good for me," Rodriguez recalls, "I learned a lot back then."

Many other Swiss internationals say the same about their time in Germany. Seven players in the current squad are currently playing in the Bundesliga, while twelve others have previously played for a club in the neighboring country. The training is more intensive, the pace of play is faster, the pace is rougher: in Germany, everything is a bit bigger than in Switzerland, where the Super League is still referred to as a training league.

Little interest in test matches

This makes the clashes between the national teams particularly explosive - at least from a Swiss perspective. There is less interest in Germany. The last test match was twelve years ago. Back then, in May 2012, Switzerland won 5:3 in Basel, which led to a media outcry in Germany. Since then, the significance of a win against Switzerland has been low, but the fallout from a defeat has been all the greater.

The imbalance between the associations is also reflected in a deal six years ago: in 2018, the German association poached the then Swiss national team coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. As part of the deal, the Swiss Football Association demanded, among other things, an international match between the men's national teams. The DFB has not yet honored this "debt".

Yakin ahead of Germany clash"There's no reason to rest players"

Since the test match victory in Basel, Switzerland has only met Germany twice: two draws in the Nations League in 2020. This would secure Switzerland second place in the group on Sunday. However, Rodriguez also knows that a win would mean top spot in the group.

New self-image

The defender has played in every World Cup and European Championship since 2014, with the Swiss always qualifying for the knockout phase. This is another reason why the self-image has changed. They have the confidence to proclaim the "fight for group victory". At the same time, it is clear that everything has to go right for success against the Germans. "The German team is outstanding," says Rodriguez. "We have to be focused for 90 minutes. If you're not awake, it can go very quickly."

Interest in the match has been enormous since the draw: UEFA has received 1.2 million ticket requests for the encounter in Frankfurt. A figure that was only exceeded for the opening match and the final.