Today's Talking Points
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1Switzerland are one of the most consistent sides at major tournaments without ever quite reaching the final — they've made the quarter-finals three times in the last ten years and usually go out to eventually strong opposition.
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2Granit Xhaka is the captain and talisman — the Arsenal midfielder is 32 and in the form of his career, having finally found a role that suits him perfectly in club football.
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3Switzerland beat France in the 2020 Euros round of 16 in one of the tournament's great upsets, and knocked out Portugal in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final — they are not a team to take lightly.
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4They're in Group B with Canada, Bosnia and Qatar — one of the more straightforward groups on paper, and Switzerland topping it would be a reasonable expectation based on recent form.
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5Switzerland's squad is notably multicultural, with players of Albanian, Kosovan, Portuguese and Spanish heritage — the team is in many ways a reflection of modern Swiss society and plays with a cohesion that reflects that.
🍺 Top Thing To Say Down The Pub
Switzerland knocked out France in the Euros and Portugal in the World Cup in the same year. People keep underestimating them and it keeps backfiring.
🚫 Avoid Saying
"Switzerland are boring" — they knocked out two of the world's best teams in knockout football. Boring teams don't do that. They're just efficient rather than flashy.