Serbia and Switzerland go into their vital Group E showdown on Friday coming off excellent results.

The Serbs picked up a hard-fought win over Costa Rica in their opener, but Switzerland’s 1-1 draw with Brazil was arguably the better result, as they produced a fighting display to claw their way back against the World Cup favourites.

The two sides will be looking to build on the momentum from their opening fixtures, but there are still a few kinks to be ironed out.

Here are three talking points heading into the game.

WILL THE REAL GRANIT XHAKA PLEASE STAND UP?

Playing for the Swiss national team is supposed to bring the best out of Granit Xhaka. Deployed as a No 10, his alleged best position, and thus not required to do the defensive work that seems beyond him at Arsenal anyway, the 25-year-old can supposedly play with freedom.

But he was woeful against Brazil. Defensively, he was typically poor, missing tackles – four of his five attempts were unsuccessful – and letting Brazil’s attackers past him with ease.

He didn’t make up for his defensive frailties with his attacking prowess either, so often the only way he can justify his place in a Swiss or Arsenal XI. His passing lacked incisiveness and he provided no shots, no chances created, no threat at all.

At this rate, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic can expect to breeze past Xhaka, while Nemanja Matic should have no problems containing him.

Xhaka needs to figure out who he is as a player. He’s not a midfield anchor – two middling seasons at Arsenal are proof of that. Nor can he really be called a box-to-box midfielder if he’s only reliable in and around one box. And if he’s not even that, what use is he as a No 10?

Xhaka had a poor game against Brazil – his latest in a succession of underwhelming displays.

MILINKOVIC-SAVIC SET TO RUN RIOT

Speaking of Milinkovic-Savic, the young Serb was too much to handle for Costa Rica in the group opener.

Switzerland should provide a tougher test, but in the meantime, the Lazio man, playing his first World Cup, showed exactly why he’s set to become the latest big-money midfield money signing in Europe, wherever he ends up.

While not everything he tried came off – his shooting could have been better – Costa Rica found the 23-year-old unplayable, especially in the second half as they tired.

Three successful dribbles, three key passes, and a constant threat running at the opposition defence. Milinkovic-Savic was a marauding presence in midfield, and in that form even Switzerland’s dogged defence will struggle to stop him.

He’s a greater physical presence than Neymar, as well, so the tactic of fouling him 10 times to limit his influence won’t work. And Xhaka’s flimsiness in midfield is essentially an invitation for the Serb to do as much damage as possible.

Valon Behrami acquitted himself well against Brazil, and he’ll have to put in a performance of a similar level to contain the threat of Serbia’s young tyke. But he may not have the legs to keep up with Milinkovic-Savic over 90 minutes.

Milinkovic-Savic dominated the game against Costa Rica.

SWITZERLAND COULD PLAY FOR A DRAW

Serbia go into this game with a golden opportunity: seal qualification before their game with Brazil. It would have been the dream scenario heading into the group, not needing a result against the World Cup favourites to qualify for the knockout stage. All they need to do is win.

It won’t be easy – Switzerland’s fighting display against Brazil is proof enough of that – but Serbia should be looking to seize the opportunity.

For Switzerland, it’s less a case of must-win and more one of cannot lose. Thanks to their point against Brazil, they know they’ll be in a strong position after this game if they can at least get a draw. They’d have two points in hand heading into a winnable fixture with Costa Rica, knowing that one of Brazil or Serbia is guaranteed to drop points in the final game.

A draw on Friday would mean that a win against Costa Rica would put them on five points. Assuming Brazil also beat Costa Rica on Friday, the only way Switzerland would fail to qualify would be if Tite’s side draw with Serbia and both retain a superior goal difference to the Swiss.

Of course, beating Serbia would be even better, but pragmatism may dictate Switzerland’s gameplan on Friday.

Will Vladimir Petkovic set his side out for a draw?