Shaqiri: Hopefully we’ll have a gift celebration in Basel

• Switzerland anticipating to strech fourth uninterrupted World Cup
• Vladimir Petkovic’s side face Northern Ireland in play-off for Russia 2018 berth
• Xherdan Shaqiri: “We contingency infer that we merit to be there”

Xherdan Shaqiri made a small bit of FIFA World Cup™ story during Brazil 2014. Finding a net 3 times opposite Honduras in Switzerland’s final organisation theatre game, a bomb winger purebred a 50th hat-trick in tellurian finals history.

To date, Shaqiri’s goalscoring heroics during a Arena da Amazonia were a final time a actor bagged a three-way during a World Cup. Memories of that day in Manaus are still clear in a mind of a Stoke City man.

“It’s utterly some time ago though we remember it really well,” Shaqiri told FIFA.com. “A few days before personification Honduras, we mislaid 5-2 opposite France and we wanted to give a good reaction. It’s a formidable situation, though these are a moments leaders have to take on responsibility. we wanted to do that and we had some really good support from my team-mates in sequence to do so.”

Present during a final 3 editions of a World Cup, Switzerland boasted 9 wins from 9 going into their final Group B matchday opposite Portugal. La Nati, however, suffered a 2-0 better in Lisbon during a final hurdle, being pipped by Cristiano Ronaldo and Co to tip mark in UEFA’s Group B on idea difference.

“We knew we were brief of goals compared to Portugal and we were anticipating they would finish adult sketch maybe once or twice,” Shaqiri said. “But Portugal also won 9 games in a quarrel and, some-more importantly, we contingency not forget that we did a lot of things right [in a subordinate campaign], solely in one game. There is no reason for us to be too disappointed; we can reason a heads adult high, entirely focused on a play-off games.”

Ready for #takeoff ✊ let a tour begin! #NIRSUI #playoff #RoadToRussia pic.twitter.com/RbqNXoga31

— nationalteams_SFVASF (@SFV_ASF) November 7, 2017

Gunning for Russia
In sequence to book a Russia 2018 berth, Switzerland contingency overcome Northern Ireland over dual legs in a European play-offs. After reaching a knockout stages in their lass European Championship in France, Michael O’Neill’s side successfully carried that movement into World Cup qualifying, finishing second in Group C behind universe champions Germany.

“When it comes to a draw, we have to accept and honour any arrange of plea it brings,” Shaqiri said. “Northern Ireland is a many formidable competition that any of a 4 seeded nations could have been drawn against. Everybody is full of honour for them. It’s no tip their many critical qualities are their earthy energy on a pitch, a structure of their diversion and their dangerous corners and free-kicks.”

Up initial for Switzerland is a outing to Belfast’s Windsor Park on 9 November, before a lapse leg in Basel 3 days later. A pivotal member of manager Vladimir Petkovic’s starting line-up, Shaqiri expects a tightly-contested confront opposite a Northern Ireland side who have mislaid only one rival home diversion in a final 4 years. But a 26-year-old believes La Nati have what it takes to strech a fourth uninterrupted World Cup.

“A play-off is a 50:50 game. It is going to be really turn and zero will be motionless until a really final minute,” Shaqiri said. “Having pronounced that, we consider it could be an advantage to play during home in a second diversion – in box of additional time, for example, and to hopefully have a World Cup gift jubilee celebration during home.

“We know that we somehow have to press a reset symbol and get prepared to mount adult to Northern Ireland during Windsor Park first,” he continued. “Every singular member of a Swiss group and staff wants to play during a World Cup in Russia. We know that we have a qualities to do so, though we contingency move all a energy on a representation and infer that we merit to be there.”

Just Landed in belfast✅⚽️#XS23 @SFV_ASF pic.twitter.com/MjUImu9YKs

— Xherdan Shaqiri (@XS_11official) November 7, 2017

Article source: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2017/m=11/news=shaqiri-hopefully-we-ll-have-a-qualification-party-in-basel-2919164.html