SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) " With a coach who has plied his trade in Italy and a squad of much-traveled players, Switzerland is counting on its international experience for success at the European Championship.
Vladimir Petkovic, who replaced Ottmar Hitzfeld after Switzerland's defeat by Argentina at the 2014 World Cup, has made some important changes to a side that faces Poland in the last 16 on Saturday.
A former Lazio coach, he has kept Hitzfeld's defensive mentality while bringing a dash of creativity to a squad of players that also has experience of Serie A soccer.
"Serie A is a very important league at a European level from every perspective," Petkovic told a news conference on Friday. "We talked about how challenging it was three years ago. But every year Juventus shows it is a very competitive division."
Solid defending " a key quality in Italy " has sealed Switzerland's first ever appearance in the knockout stages, with just one goal conceded in the tournament so far.