A familiar face will greet Switzerland on the touchline on Thursday ahead of their round of 32 clash against Algeria – their former coach Vladimir Petkovic, who will slip into the role of friendly foe.

Petkovic, who has been Algeria’s manager since 2024, led Switzerland from 2014 to 2021 and steered them to an impressive period of stability in the global game. They have reached the round of 16 in every World Cup since 2014 and have two back-to-back quarterfinal runs at the European Championships, that form carrying on after he left the post five years ago. It means that even in the most competitive of circumstances, a feeling of fondness is hard to shake.

“He’s a coach that knows me very well,” Switzerland’s Breel Embolo said. “I’m not the only one. I think he knows a lot of players. But personally speaking, no, nothing’s going to change on my front. I’m going to play the football I’m used to playing, taking into consideration not only the qualities of the Algerian squad, but also their weak spots. We’re going to work together as a group, and we’re going to try and get in there 100% because we believe that if we play to our strengths, we’ve got what it takes to get through to the next round.”

Whether or not this will prove to be an advantage for Petkovic and Algeria, though, is up for debate.

“I really appreciate the way he works, the way he treats the players, and also the way he lets the players play,” Murat Yakin, Switzerland’s current coach and Petkovic’s one-time intern at Young Boys, said. “The players know him, he knows most of the players. It can be an advantage and a disadvantage, but five years have passed since, and our style of football has changed and evolved. He helped the team to qualify for many tournaments, so thanks to him, and I’m very happy to see him tomorrow.”

Petkovic himself is not so sure that the historical knowledge he has is all that relevant.

“The world of football has become universal,” Petkovic said. “Everyone knows each other. There are no real secrets left in the game,” Petkovic said. “I don’t think it’s a huge advantage to know someone or someone else, just as I know the players, the players know me, and it’s a huge pleasure to come up against them. It’ll be lovely to meet and greet them, but after that, the players will go out there on the pitch, and I’m certainly expecting a tough game, and in order to win a match we need to give 120% against a very decent Swiss inside.”

An uphill battle of sorts awaits for Algeria, the gaze of Africa’s soccer-loving population now fully fixed on them. The continent had nine participants in the round of 32, an impressive feat that points to the growth of the game in a region that has always boasted potential to become a major power player in the sport. Africa’s record has not been great so far, though – Morocco, the 2022 World Cup semifinalists, are the only team from the continent through so far, many of the others saddled with contests against top-tier sides like England and Argentina. Algeria are still alive, though, and have a reasonable chance of advancing, perhaps more so than the rest in the field. Cape Verde are unlikely to get past reigning champions Argentina while Ghana are not favored against Colombia, though Egypt may have a chance against Australia.

How to watch Switzerland vs. Algeria

Date: Thursday, July 2 | Time: 11 p.m. ET
Location: BC Place — Vancouver, British Columbia
TV: FS1 (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Switzerland -118; Draw +240; Algeria +350

Switzerland vs. Algeria predicted lineups

Switzerland: Gregor Kobel, Silvan Widmer, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, Dan Ndoye, Johan Manzambi, Ruben Vargas, Breel Embolo
Algeria: Luca Zidane, Rafik Belghali, Aissa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nabil Bentaleb, Houssem Aouar, Riyad Mahrez, Ibrahim Maza, Fares Chaibi, Amine Gouiri

Switzerland vs. Algeria pick

Algeria proved they can score in their group stage finale against Austria, which ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw, but Switzerland prove to be a stiffer defensive challenge. Plus, Algeria have been fairly leaky at the back and even if Switzerland can be a bit conservative up top, they should have enough firepower to get through this challenge. Pick: Switzerland 1, Algeria 0