The great quality calculation: no joke! Nati was able to secure the European Championship ticket with two bankruptcies

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Blick feared this in September after the 2-2 draw in Kosovo, but now it is a fact: despite modest group opponents, qualifying for the European Championship will be a hot dance for the Swiss national team. With two matches to go, the direct ticket to Germany has still not been purchased. In the last matches against Kosovo and Romania, Yakin’s team must score points to achieve the minimum goal on their own.

With a win on Saturday in the Basel Joggeli against Kosovo, qualification for the European Championship is guaranteed, whatever happens next in Romania. What sounds like a bad joke after the Nati’s last performances is actually true: two defeats can be enough. Blick mentions the scenarios:

The European Championship ticket was secured with a trio in the penultimate qualifying match. It is ‘only’ about winning the group, and that is not unimportant (see below).

One point is enough if Israel does not beat Romania on Saturday. Otherwise, the national team will need a point on the last match day to ensure passage. In other words: two draws are certainly enough for the European Championship ticket. A draw against Kosovo and a defeat in Romania are only enough if Israel gets a maximum of four points.

In this case, the decision would be definitively postponed until the last match day. If the national team loses to Kosovo, they need a victory in Romania to get their ticket to the European Championship on their own. A draw is enough in Romania if Switzerland does not suffer a defeat against Kosovo. If there is another defeat in Romania, the national team will only finish second in the group if Kosovo does not win its last match against Belarus and Israel gets a maximum of four points.

Even if second place secures the European Championship ticket: anything other than a group win in the European Championship qualifying would be a shame for the Swiss national team. After the division into Group I, many victories and points were expected, which gave Switzerland a place in Pot 1 in the draw for the European Championship groups.

But after four draws in the last five matches, pot 1 in the European Championship draw on December 2 is no longer feasible – even if the national team wins the qualifying group. Reason: At least five other qualifying group winners finish with more points.

This means: If the national team secures the European Championship ticket, they will only end up in pot 2. If the tournament in Germany only reaches second place in the group or even via the detour of the play-offs, Switzerland will end up in both pots. 3 or pot 4 – and at the European Championships it will certainly be a fantastic sporting group. An obstacle that the Yakin team could have avoided with better points in the weak qualifying group I.

Source : Blick