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In the preliminary round of the World Cup, Switzerland was (again) convincing and sometimes even enchanting. But can she also make it to the quarterfinals in 2024?
The mood was relaxed and easy-going when the national team boarded the train to Ostrava in Prague on Wednesday morning. The World Cup quarter-final against Germany on Wednesday afternoon was not a big topic during the three-hour journey, and card games provided a good distraction, said captain Roman Josi.
Smaller arena, big game
At 4:30 p.m., coach Patrick Fischer’s team appeared on the ice in the Ostrava Arena for the final training session. The stadium in the Czech industrial city near the Polish and Slovak borders has a capacity of around 9,000 people.
This means that the arena in Ostrava is significantly smaller than the one in Prague, where Switzerland played their group games in front of over 17,000 spectators. The smaller stadium doesn’t bother Josi, nor does the slightly darker lighting conditions in the hall: “As soon as you’re on the ice, it doesn’t make a big difference,” says the experienced NHL defender.
Josi makes no secret of how important Thursday’s match is for Switzerland, but at the same time he stresses: “Games like this are fun. It is an honour to be able to play in a World Cup quarter-final for Switzerland.”
Focus on power play and box play
Fischer used the hour-long training session mainly to work on the special teams. It is no secret that in knockout games, nuances can decide between victory and defeat. A power play goal here, a shorthanded situation overcome there.
A look at the previous tournament statistics further emphasizes the importance of the power play and box play: With Switzerland (32.26% success rate) and Germany (35.29%), the two most effective teams to date meet in the majority.
Playing in a minority, on the other hand, has been one of the few problems for Switzerland (66.67%). Only the Austrians had an even weaker box play record than the national team after the group phase.
Much points to Genoni
With Jonas Siegenthaler, an important piece of the defensive puzzle should return in the quarter-finals, not least when outnumbered. The New Jersey Devils defender missed the final group game against Finland with a slight injury. One of the Michael Fora/Sven Jung duo will probably have to make room for Siegenthaler.
Otherwise, no major changes in the line-up are to be expected. Coach Fischer didn’t want to reveal who he would send between the posts in the all-or-nothing game against Germany. “During the World Cup you could see trends. We have a plan, but you also have to remain flexible,” said Fischer after the final training session. If Leonardo Genoni didn’t score against Germany, it would be a surprise.