For a nation famous for staying out of conflicts, Switzerland’s World Cup opener ended in fitting fashion: neither side got the better of the other.
They had plenty of chances to put their opener away before allowing an own goal against Qatar in the waning minutes of a 1-1 draw.
In fact, both opening World Cup matches in Group B made for draws, leaving the first victory up for grabs between Switzerland and Bosnia on Thursday afternoon.
Bosnia’s game script in its 1-1 draw against Canada was much of the same. The Bosnians relinquished the equalizer in the 78th minute, playing the second half on their heels and allowing Canada to dictate possession.
Switzerland, which is tabbed as the +110 favorites to take Group B, enters the second matchday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles with a price tag of -170 on the moneyline.
All of a sudden, this match carries extra weight, as a victory would give a strong advantage in securing one of the two qualification spots and avoiding do-or-die pressure heading into the final matchday.
The Swiss’ high praise still comes from an unbeaten qualifying run backed by its 13th appearance on the global stage.
They are by no means a direct team. Instead, they emphasize structure and execute long spells of circulation, rarely forcing matches into end-to-end contests.
The Swiss are designed to control possession through three-time World Cup participant Granit Xhaka. He patiently works the ball into advanced areas rather than relying on direct attacks.
Bosnia is only likely to reinforce those conditions. Bosnian manager Sergej Barbarez’s scheme defends compactly in central areas to push opponents into less dangerous zones.
The Bosnia midfield pairing tends to stay close to the back line and limit space between the lines, while reducing opportunities for through balls into the penalty area.
A clash of methodical possession against disciplined defensive structure will only make for another chess match for both sides.
THE PLAY: Under 2.5 goals (-128, FanDuel)
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
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