Meet the Swiss: Xhaka is the familiar face but threats lurk elsewhere
After John O’Shea’s Ireland played out a goalless draw against Belgium on Saturday night, Switzerland are in town next to face the Boys in Green for the first time since October 2019.
Boasting talent from clubs like Manchester City and AC Milan, here is all you need to know about Murat Yakin’s side as they prepare for the Euros.
Yvon Mvogo: (FC Lorient, €3m) Age: 29 Caps: 7
With Inter Milan shot-stopper and Swiss veteran Yann Sommer going off early on against Denmark with an ankle injury, Mvogo is set to feature again in Dublin tonight. The Cameroon-born goalkeeper has served as number two since 2014 and made his first appearance since June 2021 last Saturday. He spent six seasons at Young Boys before becoming number two at RB Leipzig. He won a Dutch Cup with PSV after that and is now enjoying regular top-flight football with Lorient.
Fabian Schar: (Newcastle, €4m) Age: 32 Caps: 79
Another Swiss veteran, the centre-half came up with his hometown side FC Wil 1900 before winning three league titles with FC Basel. His form at Deportivo La Coruna caught the eye of Newcastle, who snapped him up in 2018, and he’s since made 180 appearances across all competitions. Has an eye for goal, with four so far this term, and also scored when the sides last met in a Euro qualifier at Lansdowne Road in 2019.
Manuel Akanji: (Manchester City, €20m) Age: 28 Caps: 58
The centre-half swapped Borussia Dortmund for City in September 2022 and helped Pep Guardiola’s side to Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup wins last term. Also a two-time Swiss champion with FC Basel, the defender has been a key player since his international debut in 2017; in line for his 17th successive cap in Dublin.
Ricardo Rodriguez: (Torino, €2m) Age: 31 Caps: 114
The Torino skipper is Switzerland’s fourth-most capped player of all time. The centre-half cut his teeth with FC Zurich before enjoying spells at Wolfsburg, AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven. He returned to Italy to join Torino in 2020 and, at international level, has been mostly an ever-present for the Swiss since his maiden cap in 2011. He was also part of Switzerland’s U-17 World Cup winning squad of 2010.
Silvan Widmer: (Mainz 05, €2.5m) Age: 31 Caps: 40
Typically operating at right-back, Widmer is his club’s captain and has had previous stints at Granada in Spain and Udinese in Italy. He won a Swiss Cup at Basel before his Bundesliga move in 2021. He missed most of the first half of this season with an ankle injury but has returned with his side, currently in 16th, fighting for survival. After his senior bow in 2014, he only earned sporadic caps for the next six years. Made his first start for his country in 12 months on Saturday in Denmark.
Denis Zakaria: (Monaco, €20m) Age: 27 Caps: 53
The Geneva native came up through Servette’s academy before spending five years at Borussia Monchengladbach. An ill-fated loan to Chelsea from Juventus followed in 2022 before he signed a five-year deal with Ligue 1 side Monaco last August. The midfielder has three goals in 21 league appearances this term as Monaco chase Champions League qualification. Made his Swiss debut in 2016 and earned two appearances off the bench at Qatar 2022.
Remo Freuler: (Bologna, on loan from Nottingham Forest €4.5m) Age: 31 Caps: 64
The midfielder spent almost the first decade of his career in his native country before signing for Atalanta in 2016. Six years later, he was off to England to sign for Forest, where he made 28 Premier League appearances last term. He’s a Serie A regular this season, however, with Bologna sitting in fourth and his loan move will be made permanent this summer. Granit Xhaka: (Bayer Leverkusen, €15m) Age: 31 Caps: 122
Irish eyes will be familiar with the Swiss skipper from his time at Arsenal. His country’s most-capped player, the midfielder is a product of the FC Basel academy and spent four years at Borussia Monchengladbach before arriving at the Emirates in 2016 for €45m. He made almost 300 appearances for the Gunners, winning two FA Cups, but at times had a difficult relationship with the fans. The two-time Swiss Player of the Year is now enjoying an exceptional season under Xabi Alonso this term, though, with Leverkusen 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and unbeaten to date.
Dan Ndoye: (Bologna, €9m) Age: 23 Caps: 8
One of the younger players in the Swiss set-up, the right winger was born in Nyon and had stints at Nice and FC Basel before he signed a permanent deal with Serie A side Bologna last August. He has impressed in Italy with 30 appearances to date this term and will look to make his third consecutive international start tonight.
Rube Vargas: (FC Augsburg, €4m) Age: 25 Caps: 41
The Ad li genswil native typically operates on the wing and left his boyhood club, Luzern, for Germany in 2019, where he has been since; 144 first-team appearances have followed with 20 goals and 18 assists to boot, while he can also do a job in a number 10 role. He has hit seven goals for Switzerland, three of which came in Euro 2024 qualifying last year.
Noah Okafor: (AC Milan, €14m) Age: 23 Caps: 20
Rising star Okafor caught the eye of AC Milan after hitting 34 goals across four campaigns for RB Salzburg and arrived in Italy last July on a five-year deal. The striker has five league goals to his name so far this term, while an injury saw him miss six games over Christmas. The four-time Austrian league winner has two international goals but hasn’t found the net for his country since June 2022.
Substitutes: Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach, €4m) Age: 27 Caps: 50. Cedric Zesiger (Wolfsburg, €5m) Age: 25 Caps: 3. Kevin Mbabu (FC Augsburg on loan from Fulham, €3.5m) Age: 28 Caps: 23. Michel Aebischer (Bologna, €3m) Age: 27 Caps: 17. Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago, €7m) Age: 32 Caps: 120. Zeki Amdouni (Burnley, €19m) Age: 23 Caps: 12.