Murat Yakin (Switzerland): “It’s an opportunity to make history”
The Swiss coach, Murat Yakin, highlighted on Monday the importance of the 2022 World Cup round of 16 match against Portugal, in which his team has the “opportunity” to make “history”, and announced that there will be no specific marking Cristiano Ronaldo, of whom he highlighted his influence on his rival’s game.
“Everything is ready, all the players are in good condition, all the injuries have been recovered and it is an opportunity to make history. We are strong and looking forward to the game,” he said at a press conference at the National Convention Center in Qatar, in which he admitted that “expectations are rising” around his selection. He hasn’t reached the quarterfinals since 1954.
There will be no special marking of Cristiano Ronaldo. “We are prepared, organized, we know all the influence he has on the team, but we will not make a specific plan to mark him. We will see what our strategy is on the field,” explained the coach, who will decide between tonight and Tuesday “who plays “and that separated the duel this Tuesday from the last precedent, when they beat Switzerland 1-0 in the League of Nations. “That happened six months ago. It’s a long time in football. Cristiano also didn’t play that match. There were different players on the field. To win you have to do a combination of several factors. We already know the opponent. We lost 4- 0 with Portugal as visitors and we won 1-0 afterwards. We showed that we can face the big teams, be dominant and play our game”, added Yakin, “very happy” to have a footballer like Granit Xhaka in his ranks, of whom praised his leadership.
#World #Cup #Qatar #latest #live #news #Brazil #Croatia #meet #quarterfinals