The Swiss Football Association announced, on Monday, the exclusion of Granit Xhaka, captain of the national team, from the list that will play two matches in the European Nations League, after he suffered an injury with his team, Sunderland, against Chelsea in the English Premier League.
Xhaka (34 years old) was injured during the warm-up, but he started the match, then left after only two minutes, in a match that ended with his team winning 1-0, knocking Sunderland out of the bottom of the standings.
Xhaka, who has played the most in a Swiss jersey with 152 international matches, has been absent from his country's national team since the loss to Argentina, 1-3, after extra time in a controversial confrontation in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Xhaka missed 4 matches in the European Nations League during the last international break, due to his trial as a result of forging his vaccination certificate against the Corona virus (Covid-19) in 2022.
The Swiss national team captain admitted to forging the certificate, and it was decided to put him under supervision for two years, in addition to a suspended fine.
The Swiss national team leads its group in the second level of the European Nations League, and is preparing for an away match against Slovenia, on Friday, before hosting Scotland, on Monday.
The Swiss Football Association also announced that Sevilla's Spanish winger, Ruben Vargas, and Hamburg's German defender, Miro Moheim, were excluded from coach Murat Yakin's roster due to injury.
Rogerio Nyakosi joined the Swiss roster for the first time, becoming the sixth player born in Geneva who graduated from the Swiss club Servette's academy without progressing to the first team.
This list includes the six, Denis Zakaria, Yohan Manzambi, Zaki Amdouni, Zachary Atikame, and Wensley Butelli, in addition to Nyakosi, who together played only 11 matches in the Servette jersey before they left or were sold at an early age.
Nyakosi (22 years old) moved to French Olympique Marseille in 2022, and is currently playing for Belgian club Leuven.
Brazilian international goalkeeper Alisson Becker is looking to continue the journey with his current team, Liverpool, beyond the end of the current season, calling on the “Reds” management to sign a new contract with him.
Alisson played a pivotal role in Liverpool winning the English Premier League title in 2020 and 2025 and the Champions League in 2019 since he joined the team from Roma in 2018.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper played 347 matches in the “Reds” jersey, winning a total of seven titles so far.
Alisson's contract expires at the end of the current season, and his name has been linked to departure in the recent period, but he expressed his desire to continue his career on Merseyside by signing a new contract.
Alisson said after Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday in the league: “Yes (I want to stay), that’s what I’m thinking about. "I'm focused on playing every match, but I'm happy to stay."
He added, “It depends on many different aspects and circumstances.” But my desire is to stay. I am happy here and my family is happy here. I am still hungry for titles and to perform at good levels. "I still want to play at the highest level for as long as possible, so that's what I'm thinking about."
Liverpool's Spanish coach Andoni Iraola recently expressed his hope that the Brazilian goalkeeper would be able to "continue for a longer period" with his team.
Alisson revealed that “my agent is talking to the club” after a summer that witnessed speculation about a possible move to the Italian Juventus.
The veteran goalkeeper confirmed his value again through a distinguished performance that contributed to Liverpool's victory over Palace, but Georgian Giorgi Mamardashvili is awaiting his opportunity as a replacement for Alisson, while young Belgian goalkeeper Luca Brokhmans is expected to join Liverpool from Khank next year.
Alisson said about Liverpool’s wobbly start to this season: “Our reality is that we are not performing at the level we can provide. We have not yet reached the required degree of stability. We have a great coach and great players. “We are capable of achieving big things, but as a team we need to reach a point where we feel good now, and that we have the confidence and everything it takes to win.”
Xavi Hernandez said on Monday that Frenkie de Jong's return to the Netherlands represents a strong boost in the team's quest to top its group in the European Nations League and qualify for the quarter-finals next year.
The midfielder, who suffered from recurring injuries, last played for his country at this year's World Cup. He missed the four matches in the Nations League, in which the Dutch team collected 8 points, sharing the lead in Group Two with Greece.
De Jong has always been the most prominent player on the team, and Xavi said he expects De Jong to play a leadership role again in the Dutch national team's match against its Greek guest on Friday, as well as the confrontation that will be held outside its home country against Germany.
Xavi, who trained De Jong in Barcelona from 2021 to 2024, confirmed: “He knows our vision and ideas, and he must have an important role with us on the field. “I want to see his personality. He is one of the team’s leaders and has a lot of experience.”
De Jong (29 years old) is expected to return to the playmaker role that Joey Firman played in the Netherlands' two-legged win over Serbia and the 2-2 draw in Greece.
“All players can play together, especially the good ones,” Xavi explained. “Joey is performing great in Dortmund, and he performed excellently for us.”
He added: “They said in Spain that Iniesta and I cannot play together because we are very similar in our style and approach. Can you imagine that?
He continued: “Frenkie will not be a new discovery for me, as he is a high-class player. He can play in any position. He played full-back for a few minutes yesterday (in Barcelona's win over Atletico Madrid). He is a high-class player.”
The two top teams in the group qualify for the quarter-finals next March. A victory over Greece at the Johan Cruyff Stadium will guarantee the Netherlands a place in this stage.
Xavi, who took over as coach of the Netherlands after the World Cup, continued: “This is the next goal, and after that we will think about other goals, but the first goal is to qualify for the quarter-finals. We performed well recently. We are confident of our rise.”
