Switzerland national team captain Murat Yakin seems confident that things will go as planned. The World Cup ticket is booked and celebrated thoroughly.
It's in our hands, we're playing at home, in a packed stadium and our goal is to qualify for the World Cup, says Yakin.
Of course, he is well informed about what has happened around the Swedish national team in the last month. The injuries to Viktor Gyökeres and Dejan Kulusevski, Alexander Isak's situation and players (Hugo Larsson and Lucas Bergvall) who have had to leave the Swedish squad.
“Coach with quality”
And of course he is informed that Graham Potter has stepped onto the scene as the new Swedish national team captain instead of Jon Dahl Tomasson.
It will be the first time I meet him. He is of course a quality coach who has coached big teams. That makes him dangerous for us. He has motivated players.
"Potter knows Swedish football, knows the DNA of Swedish football and will ensure that there is harmony in their squad. I also believe that they will play more defensive football," he said at the press conference at the Stade de Genève match arena.
But he doesn't think it would make it more difficult for him to prepare his team.
My focus is on my team, talking about their coach and team is speculation. We've had a good week, a fantastic week and want to play a good game in front of our fantastic fans.
The question of how he views team captain Granit Xhaka's statement, that he was surprised by "how poorly Sweden played" in the Swiss' 2-0 victory in October, puzzles Yakin.
I haven't heard that.
Whereupon striker Breem Embolo breaks in.
Did he say that in Swedish (laughter)? It wasn't an easy match at all. He's special, but I don't think he said that. It was a really tough match. They could have had the lead before we scored 1-0, he says.
“Not easy at all”
Murat Yakin:
The match in Stockholm was not easy at all. They had chances to score. Now they have a new coach who has motivated the players. It is our job to stop them.
The big departure in Switzerland is Remo Freuler. Emil Holm's clubmate in Bologna has broken his collarbone. Yakin regrets the midfielder's absence.
It's sad, but we have other options in his place and have been preparing this week.
