Switzerland (15) and Serbia are ranked by FIFA (21)
On Friday, Switzerland and Serbia will square off for the final position in Group G’s knockout round in a replay of their 2018 World Cup match, which was hotly contested but marred by political tensions.
On three points, Switzerland appears to be in a good position to join Brazil in the round of 16. Unless Cameroon pulls off an unexpected victory against Brazil, in which case goal difference would be the deciding factor, a win over Serbia would assure them a spot in the next round, while a draw would also be sufficient.
Serbia’s path to the knockout round is far more difficult. They must defeat Switzerland by a wide margin and then hope for a very specific result in the Cameroon-Brazil match, preferably a victory for Cameroon by a tight margin so Serbia may surpass the African team in goal differential.
But when the Swiss and Serbs meet, stress will also come from other factors. They only faced up against one another once, during the World Cup’s group stage. Fans still recall that game as having significant political overtones.
Granit Xhaka, a Swiss midfielder who was born in Basel to ethnic Albanian parents from Kosovo, formed a double-headed eagle with his hands to symbolize Albanian nationalism as he celebrated his goal against Serbia.
In the 2-1 group stage victory, Xherdan Shaqiri, a Kosovo native who declared his country’s independence from Serbia in 2008, added another Swiss goal and mimicked Xhaka’s celebration, which infuriated the Serbian team and led FIFA to punish both players for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Shaqiri stated in reference to the 2018 match that the Swiss were in Qatar to play football. Shaqiri missed Monday’s 0-1 loss to Brazil due to a muscle strain but is anticipated to play against Serbia. Switzerland vs Serbia Xhaka is a crucial component of the Swiss team competing in Qatar.
Kosovo-related controversy has already dogged Serbia during this World Cup, with FIFA launching legal action against the nation’s football association after it was claimed that a flag depicting Kosovo as a part of their country was hung in the locker room before their match against Brazil.
The Football Federation of Kosovo, which joined UEFA and FIFA, Switzerland vs Serbia the bodies that govern European football, in 2016, condemned Serbia’s “aggressive action.”
Watch for goals when Serbia and Switzerland face off on Friday. However, keep an eye out for the festivities as well.
