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Alphonso Davies is expected to make his return to the field Wednesday when Canada takes on Switzerland in their final group-stage game of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
Head coach Jesse Marsch said Tuesday that Davies will not start but is likely to come on as a substitute.
“We will evaluate what we need of him in the game,” Marsch said. “I would like to get him into the match, for sure. And I think that he can have a big impact, both on us physically and football wise, but also mentally, psychologically, to have our captain back, our best player back in the team. I think this is a big factor.”
The 25-year-old star left back injured his left hamstring in early May while playing for Bayern Munich in a Champions League semifinal and has not played since.
It was the latest in a long list of ailments that have kept him from appearing for the national squad since March 2025.
Getting Davies back into a game would be a big boost for the team, Marsch said.
“It’s so much more than just what he brings on the pitch — it’s what he represents to us,” he said. “So, the good news is he’s looking great, he’s in training, he looks great, he looks fit, he looks ready to go, excited. So, let’s see how things go, but I expect him to play.”
Canada and Switzerland have only faced off once before, with the Canadians taking a 3-1 decision in May 2022.
The national team knows, though, that the Swiss present plenty of threats.
Playing in his fourth World Cup, defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka continues to be a crucial piece for the Nati, and scored on a penalty late in injury time to help Switzerland take a 4-1 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina last Thursday.
“He has a lot of quality on the ball and is a very smart player,” Cyle Larin said of the former Arsenal star. “Those players you have to be 100 per cent concentrated on everything because he can make a pass, he can control the game.”
Switzerland focuses a lot on possession and has players who are good at playing wide, said Liam Millar.
Canada’s task will be focusing on their own game instead of letting the opponents dictate play, he added.
“I feel like we still just need to keep our same way that we are. Just be the same, be aggressive, make sure that we don’t give these guys time on the ball,” he said.
“But if I feel like we can get tight to them and get aggressive with them and not give them time on the ball, it’s going to make them have to make a decision, and if we do that, I feel like we got a good chance.”
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