Granit Xhaka, the talented midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen, is thrilled about their upcoming Euro 2024 match against Germany, the hosts. Speaking in the locker room, Xhaka, who plays alongside several DFB players at the Bundesliga leaders, praised the DFB team as a "dangerous team with a lot of quality." He hopes that the 2024 European Championship will be "a good one," starting with a successful outing for his Swiss team.
Rudi Völler, the DFB sports director, recognized Xhaka's role as a "chief" in Leverkusen and as a "key figure" for their rise this season. Xhaka, humbly accepting the praise, acknowledged that he garnered more recognition in Germany than in his native Switzerland.
The Swiss team, set to compete in Group E, will face Hungary and Scotland in their first two group matches at Cologne. Reflecting on the 2006 World Cup round of 16 encounter against Ukraine in the same stadium, Xhaka recalled how all three Swiss players missed their penalties in a weak 120 minutes. Marco Streller, the first scorer, was particularly remembered for his nervous tongue-wagging before stepping up to take his penalty.
Xhaka hopes to avoid a repeat of this unfortunate incident and secure points for his team. He admits, with a smile, "I hope we get the points this time. And that we keep our tongues in our mouths." Xhaka is looking forward to playing in the Rhineland and is excited about the prospect of having many Swiss fans in Frankfurt for the Germany match.
As Europe gears up for the highly-anticipated 2024 European Championship, Bayer Leverkusen's home stadium will host several high-profile matches, including matches for the DFB team and Switzerland. So let the games begin!
: Unfortunately, the provided sources do not include any information on Granit Xhaka's feelings about the upcoming Euro 2024 match against Germany or his thoughts on the 2006 World Cup penalty shootout encounter with Ukraine. However, subsequent articles and interviews could shed light on these aspects.
