Thursday 9 November 2017 19:39, UK
Ahead of their World Cup play-off with Northern Ireland, we provide the full lowdown on Switzerland.
Michael O'Neill's side host the Swiss at Windsor Park on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm, before the return leg in Switzerland on Sunday from 4.30pm on Sky Sports Football.
Here, we look at the strengths, weaknesses and key players to look out for...
Group-stage form
Switzerland's points tally of 27 out of a possible 30 in Group B would have handed them automatic qualification in five of the eight World Cup qualifying groups in Europe.
But such was the dominance of the Swiss and Portugal, the Portuguese squeezed through on goal difference after the final game, despite Switzerland winning all but one of their 10 games.
Switzerland conceded only seven goals, scoring 23, with their most impressive performance coming in the 2-0 home win over Portugal last September.
They are 11th in the FIFA world rankings, but that's not necessarily representative of their strength. Playing more friendlies can harm a nation's ranking, and Switzerland, having played 10 friendlies in the time England have played 14, have used the loophole to their advantage.
Strengths
Without doubt, their strength lies at full-back. Switzerland have Serie A stars in Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus, right-back) and Ricardo Rodriguez (Milan, left-back), and they'll be sure to cause Northern Ireland problems as they look to feed 6ft 1in striker Haris Seferovic. Rodriguez himself has played in left midfield several times for Milan this term, so is comfortable attacking the flanks.
Xherdan Shaqiri is the one player who can pull the rabbit out of the hat for Vladimir Petkovic's side, but his strongest position - whether on the right, behind the lone strike, or a free role in the attacking three - has always been up for debate.
Weaknesses
Seferovic is Switzerland's main striker, but he's not exactly rampant in front of goal. He scored four goals in qualifying and has 11 overall in 43 Swiss caps, and is more of a physical target man than a clinical striker playing on the last defender.
If Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley can prevent him from linking up play, that could be half the job done for O'Neill's men.
The Swiss will be without defender Johan Djourou (knee) and midfielder Valon Behrami is also expected to miss out with a thigh problem.
Rising Star
Once linked with Manchester City and Southampton, 20-year-old Denis Zakaria had two fine seasons with Young Boys before joining Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, where he has played regularly.
At 6ft 3in, the imposing midfielder could play a part in either leg with Behrami injured. If the Swiss need to shut up shop in either leg, expect to see him sat in front of the back four,
Manager and style of play
Vladimir Petkovic, the Yugoslavian-born coach, worked wonders at Swiss side Young Boys between 2008 and 2011, playing the then-unconventional 3-4-3 formation.
But with the national side, Petkovic opts for four at the back, either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3. Knowing they needed a win against Portugal in their final group game, the Swiss flattered to deceive with an attacking line-up.
Will Petkovic still be reeling and instead go for the cautious, sensible approach that served them so well in qualifying up to that point?
If given freedom, Granit Xhaka will be key. But as we've seen in the Premier League with Arsenal, his form is fragile, and the likes of Steven Davis and Oliver Norwood will give him no breathing space, particularly in the first leg.
What they've said
O'Neill: "Switzerland will be a difficult opponent but I do believe it's an opponent we can overcome. The first leg at home, hopefully we can have a positive result to take to Switzerland. Sometimes you get the benefit of an away goal when you play the second leg away. It's a game we're very capable of winning over 180 minutes."
Petkovic: "I estimate our chances of progress as 50-50. We have to forget everything that has happened in recent months. Everything starts again at zero."
