Liverpool and Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri has been ruled out of their Euro 2020 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland next week.
The Swiss are set to travel to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday September 5 without their key man as he focuses on club commitments and form.
The Swiss Football Association confirmed the news on Friday afternoon saying "Xherdan Shaqiri, who has decided to concentrate fully on his club, will not be available" for the tie against Mick McCarthy's side.
Unser Aufgebot für die Spiele gegen Irland und Gibraltar
Voici notre sélection pour les matches contre l'Irlande et Gibraltar
Ecco i nostri convocati per le partite contro l'Irlanda e Gibilterra
🎫 Achète ton billet pour le match à Sion sur https://t.co/bn2xFql5fQ ! pic.twitter.com/x58t0LG81Z
— nationalteams_SFVASF (@SFV_ASF) August 30, 2019
Shaqiri has made only one appearance for Liverpool this season, a 10-minute spell in their Community Shield loss to Manchester City earlier this month.
Regardless of this announcement, a strong Switzerland squad is set to visit Dublin with Arsenal's Granit Xhaka and Newcastle's Fabian Schar familiar names to Premier League fans, while the likes of Breel Embolo and Ricardo Rodriguez are also well-known names.
Ireland currently sit top of Group D in the qualifiers. McCarthy's side have 10 points with 3 wins and a draw and are 5 points clear of second-placed Denmark.
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