Embolo asks the team for “solidarity” and says who fired Portugal in the preview of the “eighth” game of the World Cup.

Footballer Bril Embolo said on Monday Swiss players would have to show “solidarity” to negate Portugal’s “high quality” and categorically named opponents he would have turned down in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16.

“As for me, I would remove the goalkeepers. All of them, three [Diogo Costa, Rui Patrício e José Sá]”, joked the forward at a press conference before the meeting on Tuesday, causing immediate laughter from all the journalists present in one of the halls of the National Congress Center of Qatar.

The Monaco 25-year-old has foreseen a “difficult game” against a “very strong opponent” who has two “world-class” centre-backs.

“The Portuguese team is very high quality. They have two world-class centre-backs. [Pepe e Rúben Dias], but not only. I know that in this game I will have to help defend. We must provide support and then take advantage of the opportunities that open up,” he said.

What’s more, Embolo, who distinguished himself in the service of Basel and, more recently, Borussia Mönchengladbach, has left tearful praise for Pepe, a defender who has 14 years more than him.

“Pepe is like wine. He’s getting better. He is a very good defender. I played against him in the national teams and also in the Champions League. [em 2014/15]🇧🇷 Playing against him is still very difficult.”

Declining to say whether this is the best set of Swiss players, Embolo stressed that “it’s another generation that can make a difference”, admitting that the Swiss are the “underdogs” in the 2022 World Cup.

Portugal and Switzerland will face each other in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday from 22:00 local time (19:00 in Lisbon) at Lusail Stadium, in a meeting headed by Mexican referee Cesar Ramos.