Trossero shuffles pack for Tunisia game
Switzerland will go into Wednesday's friendly match against Tunisia with no less than six changes to the team that drew with Slovenia in last month's World Cup qualifier.
Coach Enzo Trossero is using the game in Tunis to examine his alternatives in all areas of play.
St Gallen goalkeeper Jörg Stiel has been pencilled in for his first international appearance, while strikers David Sesa and Hakan Yakin have been given their chance to impress, following injuries to Kubilay Türkyilmaz and Stéphane Chapuisat.
In midfield Trossero is looking to find suitable cover for playmaker Ciriaco Sforza who is suspended for the next World Cup qualifying match in Yugoslavia. Fabio Celestini, who plays in midfield for French club Troyes, will be given his opportunity on Wednesday.
“Sforza’s absence could be my chance,” Celestini admitted after being told he was in the starting line-up. The 25-year-old former Lausanne player made his international debut against Yugoslavia in 1998, but has played just six times for his country since then.
A number of other players are expected to be put under the microscope in Tunis, with Trossero intending to make at least five substitutions. Regular goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler is likely to replace Stiel at some point, while Lugano midfielder Régis Rothenbühler is set to return to the Swiss side for the first time in over a year.
Switzerland’s opponents have also made adjustments to their line-up following a number of late withdrawals. Tunisia will be without their two German Bundesliga stars Beya and Sellimi, while five players from Espérance Tunis have been excused following their exertions in reaching the final of the African Champions Cup.
Nevertheless Trossero believes Tunisia will offer a strong challenge to his experimental side. “They play with a Brazilian style and deserve respect,” the Swiss coach insisted on Tuesday. “Their players are technically strong and very agile.”
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