Northern Ireland vs Switzerland (21/03/2025)

MICHEL AEBISCHER MIDFIELDER BOLOGNA (ITA) AGE 28 CAPS 29 GOALS 1 A three-time Swiss champion with Young Boys, the defensive midfielder moved to Bologna in 2022, initially on loan and then permanently. Scored against Hungary at Euro 2024.

REMO FREULER MIDFIELDER BOLOGNA (ITA) AGE 32 CAPS 78 GOALS 11 Freuler signed for Nottingham Forest in 2022, although he stayed only one season before returning to Italy with Bologna. Part of the national team since 2017.

FABIAN RIEDER MIDFIELDER VFB STUTTGART (GER)

AGE 23 CAPS 16 GOALS 0 A two-time Swiss champion with Young Boys, Rieder signed for Rennes in 2023 before moving on loan to Stuttgart. Appeared at the 2022 World Cup where he made his debut in a 1-0 win over Cameroon. *ON LOAN FROM RENNES (FRA)

VINCENT SIERRO MIDFIELDER TOULOUSE (FRA) AGE 29 CAPS 10 GOALS 0 Another product of the Young Boys system, Sierro left Swiss football for Toulouse in 2023 and soon lifted the Coupe de France. He was in the Swiss squad at Euro 2024.

DJIBRIL SOW MIDFIELDER SEVILLA (ESP)

RUBEN VARGAS MIDFIELDER SEVILLA (ESP) AGE 26 CAPS 50 GOALS 8 Vargas has been Sow’s team-mate in Seville since January. He was the man to score a decisive penalty in the shoot-out that saw Switzerland beat France to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. At Euro 2024 he got a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Italy.

AGE 28 CAPS 41 GOALS 0 Sow was part of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League winning side during the 2021-22 season before leaving to join Sevilla in 2023. Made his Switzerland debut in 2018 and has been a regular fixture since.

DENIS ZAKARIA MIDFIELDER MONACO (FRA)

BREEL EMBOLO FORWARD MONACO (FRA)

JOËL MONTEIRO FORWARD YOUNG BOYS AGE 25 CAPS 4 GOALS 1

AGE 28 CAPS 57 GOALS 3 Zakaria had a choice of playing for Switzerland, South Sudan or Congo as a youngster but went with the country of his birth and made his senior debut in 2016. His club career has included spells at Chelsea (loan) and Juventus. Signed for Monaco in August 2023.

ALVYN SANCHES FORWARD LAUSANNE AGE 22 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Sanches has spent his entire career in the Lausanne system, breaking into the first team in the 2020-21 season. A return of 11 goals and five assists this term AGE 28 CAPS 73 GOALS 15 The Cameroon-born Embolo moved as a youngster first to France and then Switzerland, where he came through the ranks at Basel before spells with Schalke, Borussia Mönchengladbach and, since 2022, Monaco. Part of the senior national team since 2015.

Monteiro was born in Sion to a Cape Verdean family and has Swiss and Portuguese nationality. His brother Elton is a youth international for Portugal. Joël received his first Switzerland call-up last September.

DAN NDOYE FORWARD BOLOGNA (ITA)

ANDI ZEQIRI FORWARD STANDARD LIEGE (BEL) AGE 25 CAPS 15 GOALS 1 Zeqiri came through Lausanne’s system. In 2020 he signed for Brighton and Hove Albion where he made 13 appearances. Also had loan spells at Augsburg and Basel before joining Genk in 2023. Now at Standard Liege on loan. *ON LOAN FROM GENK

AGE 24 CAPS 18 GOALS 1 Ndoye was part of the Euro 2024 squad and scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Germany which sent Switzerland into the knock-out stages. Played for Lausanne and Basel, and had a spell with Nice, before joining Bologna in 2023.

has reportedly put him on the radar of clubs in England and Scotland.

IRISHFA.COM

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