Xhaka Calls for Unity Ahead of World Cup Kickoff

"I wasn’t ‘angry,’" Granit Xhaka emphasized at the press conference ahead of the match against Qatar. The question stemmed from his TV interview a week earlier. After the 1-1 draw in the friendly against Australia, the captain had criticized the team’s performance and warned of an early World Cup exit if their attitude didn’t improve.

“I wasn’t satisfied—neither with myself nor with the result,” explains the 33-year-old. “And that’s why I address these things.” His criticism was never directed at individual players, but rather at the team’s performance as a whole. That, he says, is the key to success. “We don’t have big names, no stars. Our team has to function as a unit.”

Aiming for a record

For Xhaka, the match against Qatar will also be a special moment on a personal level: he will become the first Swiss player to reach 13 World Cup appearances. Ricardo Rodriguez could also reach this milestone, though the left-back’s inclusion doesn’t seem quite as certain as Xhaka’s following the recent friendlies. “This number makes me extremely proud,” says the record-holding national team player, who is set to play his 147th international match.

Whether he will share the record with his longtime friend Rodriguez is not in his hands. “But we know Muri: Sometimes he provokes a player a little to get even more out of him,” says Xhaka, noting that Rodriguez was no longer an undisputed starter in this year’s four friendly matches.

Yakin doesn’t want to play games

Coach Murat Yakin remained tight-lipped as usual and revealed neither the lineup nor the system. “The team knows the basic formation we want to play,” he says. “I can count on experienced players who can flexibly implement tactical adjustments during the game.”

Although Qatar is considered the group’s weakest opponent, Yakin doesn’t want to take any risks. “We know how important a win is at the start of a tournament like this.”

The match will take place at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, which hosted the Super Bowl just last February. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. Swiss time). Both teams must prepare for challenging conditions: temperatures are expected to rise above 30 degrees.

Possible lineups

Qatar – Switzerland

Saturday, June 13, 9:00 p.m. Swiss time. – Santa Clara, California. – Referee Martinez (HON).

Qatar: Abunada; Al-Oui, Pedro Miguel, Khoukhi, Al-Amin; Gaber, Fathi, Laye; Abdurisag, Afif, Edimilson Junior.

Switzerland: Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Xhaka, Freuler; Vargas, Manzambi, Ndoye; Embolo.