Murat Yakin announced his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Bulgaria.
On November 12 and 15, the Swiss national team will play the last two matches of the World Cup against Italy and Bulgaria. In the fight for a direct ticket to the final round in Qatar 2022, coach Murat Yakin relies on Noah Okafor, Andy Zekri and Fabian Fry, among others.
Okafor won their team with a strong performance
Until now Okafor has been a member of the band Al Nati. In 2019, striker Vladimir Petkovic was named to the Nations League final tournament squad. The 21-year-old made his debut in the third-place play-off against England (0-0, 5:6 on penalties) when he teamed up with goalkeeper Seferovic in the 113th minute.
“Noah has been doing well for a long time. “We always had good, open communication,” Yakin said. “In recent matches with the under-21 team and at the club, he did really good publicity on his behalf. With his speed, acceleration and desire to score, he got the nomination.” Okafor has recently shone with goals in the tournament and the Champions League.
back zekri
Also on the list of 25 players is Andy Zekeri, who played his last friendly match against Greece at the beginning of September and World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Northern Ireland. Fabian Frey, the favorite for the match against Lithuania in October, has been taken into account again.
And goalkeeper Gregor Kopel will return to the team in October after his absence due to injury. The same applies to Manuel Akanji, Kevin Mbabo and Denis Zakaria, who missed the first leg in Lithuania due to injuries or suspended with a yellow card.
Duel of capital with Italy
The SFV selection is collected in Lugano on Monday. The starting point for the World Cup is clear: because only the group winners qualify directly for Qatar, Switzerland must leave Italy behind.
The tied European champions, who will finally meet Northern Ireland, are top of Group C due to a better goal difference. As group runners-up, Switzerland will have to secure a World Cup ticket in the qualifiers next March.
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