Swiss manager Murat Yakin sent the Northern Irish FA a load of chocolate as a thank you after the qualifying campaign for Qatar and looking at the Switzerland World Cup 2022 odds, he will probably need a few more favours when they get there.
Yakin’s side finished above Italy in Group C after thumping Bulgaria in their final match while the European champions were held to a goalless draw in Belfast.
Switzerland’s victory in November was their fifth in the group and they drew their other three, holding the Azzurri home and away to suggest that maybe they can mix it with the big boys.
They don’t come much bigger than Brazil, their opponents in the second game, while matches against Cameroon and Serbia could determine whether Switzerland make it out of the group for the third World Cup in a row.
Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Kohn (Salzburg), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier), Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Manchester City), Ery Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle), Silvan Widmer (Mainz)
Midfielders: Michel Aebischer (Bologna), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Fabian Frei (Basel), Remo Freuler (Nottingham Forest), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Fabian Rieder (Young Boys), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Djibil Sow (Eintracht Frankfurt), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Chelsea)
Forwards: Breel Embolo (Monaco), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Noah Okafor (Salzburg), Haris Seferovic (Galatasaray), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg)