Granit Xhaka has promised to "smash" Arsenal team-mate Gabriel Jesus, as the Switzerland captain leads his side out against Brazil at World Cup 2022.
The two nations met at this stage of the last World Cup, too – and though morale was high at London Colney prior to the tournament, with the Gunners top of the league going into the international break, Xhaka says that he will not be going easy on Jesus.
"We were joking before the World Cup about coming here and of course, it is always good if you have team-mates opposite you," Xhaka said in the lead-up to the group game between the Selecao and his Swiss side. "But we are professional footballers for 90 minutes.
"I told Gabby Martinelli and Gabby Jesus if you are running one against one against our goalkeeper, I will smash you! It doesn’t matter that we are playing in the same team.
"This is the Word Cup. You play for your own team, you play for your own country and you want to win. Of course they were worried. They know me. If I smash you, it will be very, very hard!"
The Brazilian Arsenal stars won't take those kinds of threats lightly, given that Xhaka has a reputation for being a hard man within the Arsenal camp with five red cards since he joined the Gunners in 2016. Neither Martinelli nor Jesus start for the Brazilians against the Swiss – though both of them appeared as substitutes in the 2-0 win over Serbia on Matchday 1 of the competition.
