Switzerland vs Algeria in Vancouver is a knockout match with a last-16 place on the line, and Murat Yakin’s side carries the weight of seven straight World Cup knockout defeats. Switzerland have not reached the next round from a knockout tie since 1938.
Granit Xhaka is set for his 150th cap, while Johan Manzambi has three goals from three shots on target at his first World Cup. Switzerland also recovered from a 1-1 draw with Qatar by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada to top Group B by three points.
Johan Manzambi and Rubén Vargas
Rubén Vargas and Manzambi changed the finish against Canada after coming off the bench. That detail matters because Switzerland have gone to penalties in five of their last nine major knockout matches and have won just one of their last 12 major knockout matches inside 90 minutes, so their route forward has often been narrow even when the group stage has gone to plan.
Yakin took over from Vladimir Petkovic five years ago, and that link runs straight through this matchup. Petkovic later moved on to Algeria after a brief stint with Bordeaux, then guided Algeria to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals and through CAF qualifying before the World Cup.
Vladimir Petkovic and Algeria
Algeria come in with their own pressure points. They lost 3-0 to Argentina, beat Jordan 2-1, then drew 3-3 with Austria after Riyad Mahrez scored following a record-breaking 110-pass move, and that was enough for them to finish as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
The winner will face either Colombia or Ghana in the last 16, so this is more than a single knockout tie. Switzerland are favored to extend a recent run of group-stage success, but the matchup asks whether that still means anything once the bracket turns direct and the history turns against them.
