It all started out so well for Switzerland. La Nati had won their first nine games in a row, picking up 27 points out of 30 in Group B during qualifying. However, a disappointing last matchday loss to Portugal shoved them down to second place and set up a play-off against Northern Ireland.
Controversy reigned during the two-legged play-off, as Switzerland were granted a spot-kick that some felt they shouldn't. In any case, they went on to win that leg 1-0, and hunkered down defensively to protect their narrow lead to seal their spot at this year's World Cup.
Coach's mission
Vladimir Pektovic will be aiming to prove doubters wrong and to show that Schweizer Nati are not just "lucky" to have sealed their spot. After all, the team were solid during qualifiers until their final matchday loss to Portugal, so clearly do have the quality to cause some kind of impact in Group E. While South American giants Brazil are the big favorites to top their quartet, Switzerland will be certainly to snatch a runners-up spot as they will feel they can match wits with Costa Rica and fellow European side Serbia.
New recruits
23-year-old shot-stopper Yvon Mvogo has never been capped by the senior squad, and while he's certainly the third-choice goalkeeper in this 23-man group, could he possibly make his debut this summer in Russia? Perhaps.
Here he is, alongside the 22 other members who will be featuring for La Nati this summer:
Diese 23 Spieler wurden von Nationaltrainer Vladimir Petkovic ins endgültige Kader für den @FIFAWorldCup berufen.#HoppSchwiiz #HopSuisse #ForzaSvizzera #HopSvizra #roadtorussia pic.twitter.com/07msySiqEu
— nationalteams_SFVASF (@SFV_ASF) June 4, 2018
Experienced faces
Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner, who serves as the team's skipper, is one of the more experienced players on this squad. Other veterans include Udinese's Valon Behrami, Bologna's Blerim Dzemaili, Premier League duo Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, and AC Milan's Ricardo Rodriguez. Meanwhile, young rising star Breel Embolo will be hoping this could potentially be his breakout tournament.
Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Roman Burki (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (Leipzig), Yann Sommer (Monchengladbach)
Defenders: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Jacques-Francois Moubandje (Toulouse), Ricardo Rodriguez (AC Milan), Fabian Schaer (Deportivo La Coruna), Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Antalyaspor), Nico Elvedi (Monchengladbach), Michael Lang (Basel)
Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Udinese), Blerim Dzemaili (Bologna), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Steven Zuber (Hoffenheim), Denis Zakaria (Monchengladbach)Gelson Fernandes (Eintracht Frankfurt), Remo Freuler (Atalanta)
Forwards: Breel Embolo (Schalke), Josip Drmic (Monchengladbach), Mario Gavranovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Haris Seferovic (Benfica)
