Newcastle United's Fabian Schar has missed out on a place in the Switzerland starting XI for their World Cup opener against Cameroon.
The Magpies defender is hoping to feature in a third World Cup for the Swiss, following his appearances in Brazil and Russia, but will have to bide his time after he was named among the substitutes for the Group G clash on Thursday morning.
Schar has turned out 73 times for his country, but the Murta Sakin's backline for this World Cup opener features Sivan Widmer, Nico Elvedi, Man City's Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez. Arsenal's Granit Xhaka is the only other Premier League player involved in starting XI, with former Liverpool and Stoke man Xherdan Shaqiri also starting.
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Schar, who inked a new two-year deal back in April, has enjoyed an excellent season so far for Newcastle and has formed a strong partnership with Sven Botman at the heart of the Magpies defence.
The pair have played an instrumental part in helping Eddie Howe's side challenge for European football this term. Alongside Botman, Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier, Schar performances this season have also helped make Newcastle the joint best defence in the Premier League through 15 games.
Newcastle have conceded just 11 goals this term, a record which can only be matched by league leaders Arsenal who have played a game less than the Magpies.
And the 30-year-old defender has also proved to be one of the Magpies best value signings in recent history.
Signed by former Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez for just £3m from Deportivo La Coruna, Schar has made over 100 appearances for the club since his arrival back in 2018.
While his time managed by Steve Bruce brought mixed results after a strong debut campaign on Tyneside under Benitez, the Swiss defender now looks to be back to his best under Howe.
If Newcastle are to make a serious push in the second half of the season for Champions League football, they will almost certainly need Schar to be at his best.
Switzerland XI: Sommer, Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Embolo, Freuler, Xhaka, Rodriguez, Sow, Vargas, Shaqiri
Cameroon XI: Onana, Nkoulou, Anguissa, Ekambi, Choupo-Moting, Oum Gouet, Hongla, Fai, Mbuemo, Castelletto, Tolo
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