The hosts have lost the veteran Ramona Bachmann but Lia Wälti’s leadership gives them hope
This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2025 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two teams each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 2 July.
The shock is still palpable. During the first week of Euros preparations in Magglingen, Ramona Bachmann tore a cruciate ligament in her left knee. The 34-year-old has been capped 153 times and scored 60 goals for the national team. Simply put, she is a pioneer of women’s football in Switzerland and a great role model for many of the young players.
There had been question marks over her fitness as she had played little for Houston Dash or the national team this season but it is still a huge setback for the hosts. The midfielder Lara Marti will miss the tournament after also suffering an ACL injury.
Things have not been going well for the Nati recently. Going into the pre-Euros friendly against the Czech Republic on 26 June they were winless in eight games and had been relegated from the top division in the Nations League. It feels as if the age mix isn’t quite right. The senior players, such as the captain, Lia Wälti, and Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic, are in the autumn of their careers and have struggled to stay injury-free.
