Pre-World Cup friendly: Five Switzerland players to watch against Ghana

The Black Stars of Ghana and the Rossocrociati of Switzerland will face off in a pre-World Cup friendly as the two countries prepare for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The Swiss are hoping to better their performance in the 2018 edition while the Black Stars are going into the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a target of being the first African team to make it to the semi-finals.

Ghana who are currently camping in Abu Dhabi will play against the Swiss on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at the Al Nahyan Stadium in the UAE before jetting off to Qatar.

Ahead of the game, which can serve as a confidence booster for Ghanaians, GhanaWeb has put together a list of five Swiss players who could do the damage on Thursday.

Here is the list of the five Switzerland players who can make a difference against Ghana.

Yann Sommer

While Ghanaians are still wondering who gets to be their first-choice goalkeeper after both Richard Ofori and Jojo Wallacott were ruled out of the World Cup with injuries, the Swiss have nothing to worry about when it comes to their goalkeeping department.

Yan Sommer is one of the top and most experienced goalkeepers in the German Bundesliga having made over 270 appearances for Borussia Mönchengladbach.

The 33-year-old goalkeeper is one of the most experienced players going to the 2022 FIFA World Cup having played in both the 2014 and 2018 editions in Brazil and Russia respectively.

Manuel Akanji

After topping the group that had Portugal to qualify for the World Cup, the Swiss believe that they can better their performance in the 2018 Russia World Cup in the 2022 edition, and Manuel Akanji is one of the key players who can make sure that the target is achieved.

The 27-year-old Manchester City defender has been very active for the Citizens since making the switch from German Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window.

Manuel Akanji's aggressiveness on the ball will be at play as Black Stars striker, Inaki Williams is going to have a tough competition from the Manchester City centre back on Thursday.

Xherdan Shaqiri

Regardless of his form at the club level, Xherdan Shaqiri always turns up big for the Swiss national team whenever called upon.

He is one of the few players who defy the logic that club football form does not count when it comes to the national team and major tournaments like the Euros and the FIFA World Cup.

Granit Xhaka

The captain of the Switzerland national team is one of the most in-form players heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Xhaka has been superb in the ongoing English Premier League season and his partnership with Black Stars midfielder, Thomas Partey has helped Arsenal's campaign as the Gunners currently sit on top of the league table.

He is currently the captain of the Swiss team and is one of the go-to man when the Rossocrociati are in action.

Granit Xhaka has made 106 appearances for his national team and is 13 games away from breaking Heinz Hermann's record as the most-capped Switzerland player.

Denis Zakaria

The Juventus midfielder joined Chelsea on loan in the summer transfer window but is yet to command a starting place in Graham Potter's team as he has only made two appearances for the Blues.

Regardless of his inability to command a place in the Chelsea team, Denis Zakaria is a strong defensive midfielder who is good on the ball and has good shooting abilities, especially with second balls from set pieces.

Zakaria is one of the players who will use this World Cup to prove to their club managers that they are capable of performing the task required of them and he will want to start with the game against the Black Stars on Thursday, November 17, 2022.

The 25-year-old defensive midfielder has made 46 appearances and has scored three goals since making his debut in 2016 for the Swiss national team.

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