Swiss forward Breel Embolo credits Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic with raising up Switzerland’s national team during his seven years at the helm.
Embolo and the Swiss will play against Algeria and their former coach on Thursday in Vancouver, British Columbia, when the two teams meet in the round of 32 at the World Cup.
Petkovic coached Switzerland from July 2014 to 2021. He led the team to the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, then took Switzerland to the quarterfinals of the European Championships for the first time in 2020.
Embolo, who earned his first senior national team call-up in 2015, was named to the 2018 World Cup squad by Petkovic.
“Yeah, he’s a coach that knows me very well,” Embolo said “I’m not the only one. I think he knows a lot of players. But personally speaking, no, nothing’s going to change on my front. I’m going to play the football I’m used to playing, taking into consideration not only the qualities of the Algerian squad, but also their weak spots. We’re going to work together as a group, and we’re going to try and get in there 100% because we believe that if we play to our strengths, we’ve got what it takes to get through to the next round.
“And then obviously I’ll go and say hi to him after the match.”
The feeling was mutual.
“The world of football has become universal. Everyone knows each other. There are no real secrets left in the game,” Petkovic said. “I don’t think it’s a huge advantage to know someone or someone else, just as I know the players, the players know me, and it’s a huge pleasure to come up against them. It’ll be lovely to meet and greet them, but after that, the players will go out there on the pitch, and I’m certainly expecting a tough game, and in order to win a match we need to give 120% against a very decent Swiss inside.”
Algeria, back at the World Cup for the first time since 2014, was looking for a first knockout round victory. At the Brazil World Cup, Algeria advanced out of the group stage, but fell in the first match against eventual champions Germany.
Switzerland reached the round of 16 at the past three World Cups, but with a smaller field of 32 teams. This year’s tournament featured 48 teams.
Algeria is coming off a thrilling 3-3 draw with Austria on Saturday in Kansas City. Algeria took the lead in stoppage time only for Austria to answer on the final play of the game for the final margin. The result sent both teams through to the knockout round and eliminated Iran.
The Swiss got goals from Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi to beat Canada 2-1 in Vancouver last Wednesday and win Group B. The Canadians had been hoping for a win or a draw so they would play their round-of-32 match on home soil.
Instead, Switzerland got the return trip to Vancouver. The team got a week off, during which time they returned to their training base in San Diego.
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Even Switzerland coach Murat Yakin has a connection to his 62-year-old Bosnian counterpart, serving as an intern under him with the Swiss club Young Boys years ago. Petkovic was hired as Algeria’s coach in February 2024 following a stint with French club Bordeaux.
“I really appreciate the way he works, the way he treats the players, and also the way he lets the players play,” Yakin said. “The players know him, he knows most of the players. It can be an advantage and a disadvantage, but five years have passed since, and our style of football has changed and evolved. He helped the team to qualify for many tournaments, so thanks to him, and I’m very happy to see him tomorrow.”
While he understands that it’s noteworthy that he is coaching against his former team, Petkovic emphasized that he’s not the one playing against the Swiss. It’s his players.
“It’s a match between two teams that certainly play good football. These are two sides that will certainly want to get a result. Switzerland need to, because they have publicly stated that they want to at least make the quarterfinals, and we’ve already secured two huge goals, not only by making the World Cup as a whole, but also by getting out of the group as well,” Petkovic said “I’m very keen to be involved in this match, but I’m also very keen to win the game and keep progressing.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
