Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka will be fit for their quarter-final showdown with England on Saturday after scans showed the midfielder to have no problems after an injury scare.
Both nations booked their places in the quarter-finals over the weekend with wins over Italy and Slovakia respectively.
The Three Lions struggled against the Slovakians as they needed a very late Jude Bellingham equaliser to save them from elimination, while Switzerland had a much easier time against the Italians as they secured a 2-0 win.
Xhaka featured in the game in Berlin on Saturday but admitted after the match that he had issues with an injury during the week.
“We practiced penalty shootouts before the Italy game,” the Bayer Leverkusen star said on Sunday via Blick. “On my first attempt, I felt something in my left adductor. That’s why I skipped training on Thursday. On Friday in the final training session, everything was fine again.
“But in the game, I felt it again after 15 minutes. Luckily we have very good doctors who gave me something for it. I was able to play the whole game afterwards, which was important for me.
“We’ll do an MRI on Monday and see what exactly it is. But I have seven days now to get everything treated.”
The results from that scan are now back and the Swiss captain has been passed fit to play against England on Saturday as they look to book a place in the semi-finals.
“Fortunately, the MRI showed no injury. It was a long season and that left its mark on Granit Xhaka,” Swiss FA media spokesman Adrian Arnold told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon via The Standard.
This is incredible news for Switzerland as their captain has been key to their success in Germany so far. The former Arsenal star has been voted man of the match in two of the four matches the Swiss have played at Euro 2024, while the 31-year-old was also key in their victory over Italy.
Xhaka has continued his club form over to the international scene as the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder was crucial to Xabi Alonso’s team winning the double in Germany this season as they went the full Bundesliga campaign unbeaten.
The Switzerland captain has former Arsenal teammates in the England camp and maybe they can help Gareth Southgate plan for their quarter-final clash by providing insight into the 31-year-old’s game.
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