Shaqiri and Xhaka to face disciplinary action

Stoke City midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri appears set to return from an extended injury layoff for Wednesday's League Cup tie against Hull City after resuming training, assistant manager Mark Bowen has said.

The Swiss international has not featured for the side that sit bottom of the Premier League since he picked up a calf problem in the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough, a match in which he scored, on the opening weekend of the season.

"Xherdan did a little bit of training on Friday, his first day back, but he's trained with us for the last two days so the manager will have to make a decision," Bowen told reporters on Tuesday.

"He's in the squad for the Hull game. It will be the manager's decision whether he starts him or whether he plays any part or whether we give him another few days. But he's definitely fit and in the squad."

Bowen added that he expected manager Mark Hughes to field a strong lineup when they host fellow Premier League side Hull in the third-round encounter.

"Wherever we've been, Mark has always tried to go as strong as possible in the League Cup and I would imagine it will be the same again this time around."

Switzerland's Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri said he hoped the country's shirt manufacturer Puma "doesn't make condoms" after several Swiss players ended their Euro 2016 match with France with shredded jerseys.

Four Swiss players -- Admir Mehmedi, Breel Embolo, Blerim Dzemaili and Granit Xhaka -- had to change their shirts in the first half of the goalless draw in Lille on Sunday.

Recent Arsenal recruit Xhaka had to change his shirt again in the second half.

"I hope Puma doesn't make condoms," Shaqiri told Switzerland's SRF broadcaster.

Former England striker Gary Lineker took the opportunity to poke fun on Twitter, writing: "Swiss team's Puma shirts tearing like paper. Adidas ball bursting. You can never rely on German efficiency!"

In a statement, German manufacturer Puma said it was looking into the problem.

"Our five Puma teams have played 10 games at Euro 2016 before this without experiencing this problem," the company said.

"Our production experts are currently investigating the material of the shirts. As soon as we know what the problem is we will let you know."

The Swiss shirts will be needed for at least one more match as the team has qualified for the second round.

Puma's German rival Adidas said Monday it had agreed a four-year deal to remain kit supplier to Germany until 2022 worth more than 50 million euros ($56.5 million) a year.

The agreement with the world champions came in the face of competition from US giant Nike for the prestigious contract.

Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka can swing from the sublime to the ridiculous in a matter of moments, but on his day he is the driving force of his team's midfield and has featured in every one of their games at the last two World Cup finals.

Xhaka has great technical ability, but wears his heart on his sleeve, which at times has left his club coaches frustrated by petulant dismissals at key moments and earned him something of an unwanted reputation.

But at national team level, the Arsenal midfielder is more measured and played every minute of Switzerland's recent Nations League A campaign, taking his tally of international caps to 106 since his debut in 2011.

A focused and engaged Xhaka is vital for Switzerland as he brings balance and stability as a shield for the back four. He is able to drive them forward out of defence and is a scorer of some spectacular goals, though in truth he probably should net more.

He is a straight-talker and there were rumours of a rift with his coach Murat Yakin in June, where the midfielder's comments about the team's tactics were perceived to be a criticism of his boss.

Both men played it down, but it is clear they each have a strong voice within the side and Xhaka's influence goes beyond the pitch.

Switzerland's Granit Xhaka celebrates after winning a match against France in the Euro 2020 as the Swiss ousted the French from the competition 5-4 on penalties to go trough to their first ever European Championship quarter-final. Photo: Reuters

In response to continued questions about his captain, Yakin said the player's role as a shield for the defence at the World Cup "is set", closing down the debate of how he should be used.

Xhaka feels he has been unfairly picked on by officials, who on occasion react to his past. This, according to him, limits how he plays.

"This makes me do things in a different way sometimes because I know that my risk compared to the risk of other players is not the same," he told The Athletic. "If I risk, I know I am closer to a red card than any other player.

"When I once got a red card, the referee said to one of my team mates, 'You know how Granit is, he loses his head'. This feels wrong."

He was involved in a different sort of controversy at the 2018 World Cup when, along with Switzerland team mate Xherdan Shaqiri, he was charged by FIFA for performing an Albanian nationalist symbol when celebrating victory over Serbia.

Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri celebrates after scoring a goal. The 31-year-old will be going to his fourth World Cup as he was named in Switzerland's 26-man squad. Photo: Reuters

Xhaka later apologised and was fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,052), but it was another sign of a player who acts, sometimes negatively, on the spur of the moment, a trait he has worked hard to tame in recent years.

SWITZERLAND COULD BE THE TEAM NO-ONE WANTS TO FACE

Switzerland have dealt blows to heavyweight opponents in the recent past and proven a match for anybody on their day but will fall under the 'dangerous opponent' category rather than genuine contenders for the World Cup in Qatar.

They knocked world champions France out of Euro 2020 following a thrilling 3-3 draw and penalty shootout, before falling to Spain via spot-kicks when their quarter-final ended 1-1.

They went unbeaten through World Cup qualifying, pushing European champions Italy into second place and dooming their neighbours to a humiliating failure in their bid to reach Qatar.

They lost to Portugal, Spain and Czech Republic in their first three games of the Nations League but then beat all three in consecutive matches in the reverse fixtures.

They are, in many ways, unpredictable and inconsistent, not necessarily attributes you associate with the Swiss.

It has been a bedding down period for coach Murat Yakin, who took over from popular long-serving tactician Vladimir Petkovic after the Euros. But their style is seemingly enjoyed by the players.

"We have to thank Murat Yakin. It wasn't easy for him to follow in Vlado's footsteps. He did a great job. The team is in excellent shape. It's fun to play with this team," playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri told reporters when World Cup qualification was achieved.

Switzerland players pose for a team photo: Photo: Reuters

They will be eyeing a place in the round of 16 for the fourth time in five tournaments, having been drawn in Group G with Brazil, Cameroon and Serbia.

There will be a sense of deja vu having faced the South Americans and Europeans in Russia four years ago, where they drew 1-1 with Brazil and beat Serbia 2-1.

They should have the measure of what is a mediocre Cameroon side this time round too.

But their 1-0 loss to Sweden in the round of 16 in Russia was all too familiar and they last made the World Cup quarter-finals when they hosted the tournament in 1954.

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin. Photo: Reuters

Certainly there is the quality in the squad to achieve that in Qatar. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer is one of the best around, and new Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji a dependable anchor at the back.

Midfielders Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka have 214 international caps between them, while up front Breel Embolo can be a real handful with his power, pace and aerial dominance.

Switzerland will certainly not be among the favourites, but no-one will look at them as soft opponents. Quite the opposite in fact, there may not be many who will relish facing them.

Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Photo: Reuters

FOLLOWING IS A STATBOX ON SWITZERLAND AT THE WORLD CUP:

FIFA Ranking: 15

Odds: 80-1

Previous tournaments:

Switzerland have qualified for a fifth World Cup in a row and been regulars since they first competed in 1934, bar one long 20-year absence between 1970 and 1990. They have appeared in 11 previous editions, reaching the quarter-finals three times, on debut in 1934, 1938 and 1954, when they were also hosts. More recently they have reached the round of 16 in three of the last four finals, but progressed no further.

How they qualified:

Switzerland went unbeaten through qualifying and topped a group that also contained European champions Italy, who were stunned by North Macedonia in the playoffs. Switzerland were top scorers in their group (15 goals in eight games) and only conceded twice in a ruthlessly efficient campaign. They drew both games against Italy and were also held by Northern Ireland, but had the beating of Bulgaria and Lithuania.

Form guide:

They had a dismal start to their Nations League A campaign, losing their first three matches to Czech Republic, Portugal and Spain, but bounced back to beat all of those teams in the return fixtures, so coach Murat Yakin will say they are a team on the up. They had a decent Euro 2020 tournament and made the quarter-finals, knocking out world champions France on penalties in the last 16. They only won one of their five games at the Euros before running out of luck against Spain, who claimed victory via spot-kicks. Since the Euros, Switzerland have played 15 matches, winning seven and losing four.

Switzerland hit back with a thunderous strike by Granit Xhaka and a last-minute breakaway goal by Xherdan Shaqiri to claim a famous 2-1 win over Serbia on Friday in a swashbuckling World Cup Group E match tinged with Balkan rivalry.

The Swiss looked in danger of being over-run when Serbia went ahead with an Aleksandar Mitrovic header after five minutes to the delight of their fervent supporters at the Kaliningrad stadium.

Xhaka silenced the Serbian contingent in the 52nd minute, however, when he rifled home a loose ball in spectacular style from 25 metres before Shaqiri ran onto a through ball and finished with aplomb to win the game at the death.

Xhaka and Shaqiri are among several members of the Swiss squad who are of Kosovar heritage, which added an extra dimension to the match.

Serbia refuses to recognise the independence of its former province Kosovo which broke away 10 years ago.

"It's clear that emotions were displayed up and I think we all need to steer away from politics and focus on this sport as a beautiful game that brings people together," Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic told reporters.

There was also controversy in the 65th minute when Mitrovic appeared to be held down as he went for a cross but the referee waved play on and there was no video review.

The result left Brazil, 2-0 winners over Costa Rica, top with four points, ahead of Switzerland on goal difference with Serbia on three.

Serbia must beat Brazil in their final game to qualify without relying on the result of the Swiss game against Costa Rica, who are eliminated after losing their first two games.

"This is football, we did not convert some of our chances," Serbia coach Mladen Krstajic said. "Whether this was a penalty or not, I will not comment on that.

"We’re in a situation where we need a win against Brazil on and we will focus and do whatever we can to try and win. Nothing is impossible in life."

FLYING START

Serbia made a flying start and Mitrovic forced Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer into an early save with a close-range header.

Sommer was powerless, however, in the fifth minute when Nemanja Matic won the ball and found Dusan Tadic, whose cross was met with a soaring header from Mitrovic.

With Mitrovic proving a handful for the Swiss defence, Serbia threatened to over-run their opponents and missed another chance when a corner flew across the face of goal and Dusko Tosic just failed to make contact.

Switzerland came right back into the game seven minutes after halftime thanks to Xhaka's fulminating strike after a rebound fell nicely into his path.

Xhaka was almost upstaged by Shaqiri who clipped the crossbar with a curling, dipping shot from the unlikeliest of angles and the match turned into a pulsating end-to-end affair which was brilliantly settled by Shaqiri.

Switzerland cleared a Serbia attack and a through pass sent the diminutive forward scuttling away before he slotted the ball neatly into the far corner.

"What is important is that we have developed this winning mentality even when we are down," said Petkovic, whose side have lost only one of their last 24 games.

"We always find a reaction. This is an important characteristic of my team."