Switzerland get their World Cup 2014 warm-up schedule to a start when they welcome Jamaica to the Swissporarena in Luzren on Friday, May 30, 2014 (10:30 AM PST).
Following a lean spell over the last forty years or so, Switzerland have been enjoying a bit of a revival and will be participating in their third consecutive World Cup. Experienced manager Ottmar Hitzfeld has drilled the Swiss side into a vibrant young unit which has proven capable of holding their own even against the top teams in the world.
Switzerland have been placed in a group consisting of Ecuador, France and Honduras and will surely be confident of making into the knock-out phases of the competition in Brazil. Hitzfeld’s side kick off their World Cup campaign in June 15th against Ecuador and will certainly be hoping to gather momentum heading into the tournament with a couple of positive results during their warm-up matches.
Jamaica endured a torrid qualification campaign, where they failed to register a single victory in ten matches and finished at the bottom of the table in the CONCACAF region qualifying rounds. The Jamaicans have failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1998 and do not look like they will be able to do so for quite a while.
However, the Caribbean nation have Copa America and Caribbean Cup campaigns to look forward to and the demoralized Jamaican squad will surely be looking to regain confidence by putting up a good show against one of the stronger teams from Europe.
It is clear that the Jamaican national team is in search of a new identity at the moment and under experienced manager Winfried Schäfer, the Reggae Boyz are hoping to be on the rise once again, before too long.
Teams
Switzerland
With the exceptions of Mario Gavranovic and Tranquillo Barnetta, manager Ottmar Hitzfeld will be able to call on his full strength side against Jamaica.
Swiss number one Diego Benaglio will most probably start in goal, while the Wolfsburg custodian will be shielded by a solid defence consisting of Stephan Lichtsteiner, Steve von Bergen, Ricardo Rodriguez and Johan Djourou.
The trio of Gökhan Inler, Granit Xhaka and Valon Behrami will most likely be the midfield combination for Switzerland, while the dangerous duo of Valentin Stocker and Xherdan Shaqiri will be providing the creative spark from the wings.
Exciting young striker Josip Drmic, who scored a brace in his last start for Switzerland, will be leading the line and he will surely be looking to make a similar impact against the Jamaicans.
Jamaica
Jamaica put in a spirited display against Serbia in their previous friendly match and manager Winfried Schäfer might well be tempted not to make too many changes to his squad.
Andre Blake will probably start in goal and ahead of him, the back four consisting of Upston Edwards, Lloyd Doyley, Alvas Powell and Kemar Lawrence look set to feature once again.
John-Ross Edwards, Joel Grant, Chris Humphrey and Rodolph Austin formed the midfield against Serbia and look likely to retain their place in the starting lineup. The likes of Nicholay Finlayson, Nicholas Beckett, Romario Campbell and Hughan Edwards Gray will also be options for Schäfer.
Simon Dawkins looks like to start in role just behind the striker, who looks set to be Darren Mattocks. However, Michael Seaton grabbed a goal off the bench against Serbia and will be in contention.
Probable Lineups
Switzerland: Benaglio; Lichtsteiner, von Bergen, Djourou, Rodriguez; Stocker, Inler, Xhaka, Behrami, Shaqiri; Drmic
Jamaica: Blake; Edwards, Doyley, Powell, Lawernce; Edwards, Grant, Finlayson, Campbell; Dawkins, Seaton
Form
Switzerland: W W W L D
Jamaica: D L D L L
Switzerland vs Jamaica Prediction
Switzerland have gone through a bit of stutter lately but Jamaica’s form is truly woeful. As a result, going into the game, there seems to be only one winner.
However, the Jamaicans proved that they could hold their own against a top European side during their spirited display in the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Serbia, and Switzerland should certainly expect a difficult clash.
Switzerland look a well-drilled outfit while on the other hand, Jamaica seem that they do not know what their best team is at the moment. Therefore, the Swiss side should grab a convincing victory over the Reggae Boyz.
Switzerland 3 – 0 Jamaica
Switzerland vs Jamaica Television
The Switzerland vs Jamaica match will not be televised in the USA, outside USA it will be on beIN Sports Arabia at 10:30 AM Pacific on Friday.
