Scotland set to face much-changed team as Switzerland boss sets out ‘less serious’ final game plans
Scotland face a must-win game against Switzerland in the Nations League next week.
Scotland will face a heavily rotated team when they meet Switzerland in their final Nations League group game on Monday, with head coach Murat Yakin admitting he will look to rest several stars.
The 0-0 draw against Slovenia on Friday night confirmed Switzerland’s place as Group B1 winners on 13 points, meaning they’ll be promoted to League A regardless of Monday's result in St Gallen. However, it is a must-win for Scotland if they want to qualify for the promotion playoffs.
Currently third in the group, Sebastien Pocognoli’s team are one point behind Slovenia going into their final group game. To progress to a playoff, they must hope North Macedonia pull off a result against Slovenia in Skopje, while they must also beat Switzerland.
“I was actually a little surprised,” said Yakin after Friday night’s goalless draw. “For them [Slovenia], it was really an all-or-nothing game. But I wasn’t unhappy that they didn’t throw everything forward in the end. I’m relieved that we earned the points we needed. The expectations and pressure were enormous, but we showed a lot of maturity.
“If we convert one of the few chances we had, we win the game. But it's okay like this, too. We put ourselves in a good starting position, and we played it out calmly. It was a mature team performance We knew we were playing against a strong team with a good transition game. It was anything but easy. At times, there were ten players in their own penalty area. The opponent didn't allow much. Slovenia is very tough, well-organized, and sits very deep. We had to be careful there [against counterattacks]. We can be happy and proud.”
However, after securing the result they needed in Maribor, the 52-year-old conceded his side wouldn’t need to take the game as seriously against Scotland, explaining they will use the game as an opportunity to give some fringe squad members a chance to impress ahead of the upcoming European Championship 2028 qualifiers, which begin in March.
Already without experienced captain Granit Xhaka due to a calf injury, the Swiss media believe Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel is likely to be rested, with one of Silas Huber, Yvon Mvogo or Marvin Keller deputising. Elsewhere, uncapped squad members such as Samuel Ballet and Roggerio Nyakossi could be given their international debuts when Scotland come to town on Monday.
“We do need the necessary stability and seriousness,” admitted Yakin. “But we’ll definitely make a few changes. There are another three or four guys that I would like to see from the start. Monday is about prestige, points, and putting on a good show for our own fans. There were discussions with the clubs that one or two players would be rested once promotion was secured—but I'm not going to replace the entire team.”
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