Switzerland’s Ricardo Rodriguez celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. Photo: Reuters

GENEVA: Switzerland’s World Cup prospects are one of the hardest to predict, and also the most intriguing.

Ranked No. 6, the Swiss have enough talented players in the peak years of their careers to go far in Russia.

Coach Vladimir Petkovic confidently said there was no limit to his team’s potential only minutes after qualifying in November.

Then came the World Cup draw, with games against Brazil and Serbia putting the Swiss at risk of two quick losses and elimination within days.

After that, 2014 quarterfinalist Costa Rica awaits to close out Group E. At least a 6-0 win over Panama in March showed Petkovic’s team can cope with a typically Central American style.

Brazil is favored to advance as Group E winner, and the runner-up will head to St. Petersburg to play the Group F winner — likely to be defending champion Germany.

Switzerland fans have waited a long time to see their expectations exceeded at a major tournament. The team appears good enough to do it this time, but it will be difficult.

Here’s a closer look at the Switzerland team:

COACH

Among World Cup coaches, Vladimir Petkovic took a less traveled path to Russia. When Joachim Loew took charge of Germany in 2006, Petkovic still had a day job in a charity store while coaching lower-ranked Swiss teams.

Petkovic took his big chance in 2012 to coach Lazio, and soon won the Italian Cup. He was hired for the Switzerland job only when then-Austria coach Marcel Koller could not be tempted home to succeed Ottmar Hitzfeld after the 2014 World Cup.

Seen as a second choice, Petkovic took time to grow into the role of following two-time Champions League winner Hitzfeld.

Now, the Bosnian-born coach has asserted himself with a second straight tournament qualification, leading a team featuring several key players whose parents moved to Switzerland from the former Yugoslavia.

GOALKEEPERS

Yann Sommer has been Petkovic’s consistent first-choice pick since taking over Diego Benaglio, who retired from the national team after the last World Cup.

Still, the Borussia Moenchengladbach goalkeeper is under pressure from Borussia Dortmund’s Roman Buerki.

Petkovic preferred Sommer in his first warmup game, a 1-1 draw with Spain.

DEFENDERS

Switzerland gets its experienced full backs from Italy: Stephan Lichtsteiner, preparing for his third World Cup, on the right and Ricardo Rodriguez, who has become an increasingly important goal scorer, on the left. After seven straight title-winning seasons with Juventus, Lichtsteiner signed for Arsenal this month.

Fast-improving Manuel Akanji staked his claim for a starting place with impressive displays in the playoffs against Northern Ireland in November. Akanji took his chance when Johan Djourou was injured, and was soon leaving Basel for Dortmund in January. He was picked to face Spain this month, partnering Fabian Schaer.

Schaer formed a solid central partnership with Djourou for most of the nine straight wins in qualifying until a final 2-0 loss to group winner Portugal.

MIDFIELDERS

A veteran midfield trio should be Valon Behrami, Granit Xhaka and Blerim Dzemaili — all with more than 60 appearances. Behrami is set for his fourth straight World Cup at the age of 33, one year younger than Lichtsteiner, as the statesman of the squad.

Dzemaili, now back in Serie A with Bologna after a loan spell at the Montreal Impact, has the most attacking role of the three. His last World Cup contribution was an unlucky double close-range miss near the end of extra time in Switzerland’s 1-0 loss to Argentina in the round of 16.

FORWARDS

A central striker should be flanked by Xherdan Shaqiri to the right and whoever Petkovic chooses to replace first-choice Admir Mehmedi, who will miss the tournament because of injury. Steven Zuber got the role against Spain.

At 26, Shaqiri should be peaking for his third World Cup, though his club, Stoke, slumped to relegation from the Premier League.

The identity of the central striker is perhaps the biggest question for Petkovic.

Haris Seferovic, mostly out of favor at Benfica, is the latest Switzerland forward to be booed by fans. Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Josip Drmic is returning from injury.

Breel Embolo, the 21-year-old forward with Champions League-bound Schalke, has not been prolific in two injury-hit Bundesliga seasons.

GROUP GAMES

Switzerland opens against the best team in qualifying, Brazil, on Sunday in Rostov-on-Don. Then there is a long trip west from its base in Tolyatti, Samara, to Kaliningrad to play Serbia on June 22. The team will complete its Group E schedule against Costa Rica in Nizhny Novgorod on June 27.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Roman Buerki (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (Leipzig), Yann Sommer (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Antalyaspor), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Michael Lang (Basel), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Jacques-Francois Moubandje (Toulouse), Ricardo Rodriguez (AC Milan), Fabian Schaer (Deportivo La Coruna)

Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Udinese), Blerim Dzemaili (Bologna), Gelson Fernandes (Eintracht Frankfurt), Remo Freuler (Atalanta), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Steven Zuber (Hoffenheim)

Forwards: Josip Drmic (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Breel Embolo (Schalke), Mario Gavranovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Haris Seferovic (Benfica)

Belgium team group before the match. Photo: Reuters

BRUSSELS: With a wealth of attacking options, Belgium should be a potent force going forward at the World Cup.

They might need to be, because with injury and fitness clouds over key defenders, the team could be vulnerable at the back.

Just two days before Martinez named his final squad, center back Vincent Kompany injured his groin in a 0-0 draw with Portugal, raising fears he could miss his second consecutive major tournament after a leg injury sidelined him for the 2016 European Championship in France.

Martinez is giving him until the eve of Belgium’s Group G opener, against Panama on Monday, to prove his fitness.

The 32-year-old Manchester City captain is not the only defensive worry for the Red Devils. Toby Alderweireld at Tottenham, Thomas Meunier at Paris Saint-Germain and Thomas Vermaelen at Barcelona have all spent parts of the season warming the bench at club level.

Up front it’s a different story. Romelu Lukaku leads the attack, supported by the creative genius of Eden Hazard and with Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings in midfield.

But for all the exceptional talent, Belgium keeps underwhelming at major tournaments, only reaching the quarterfinals at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

Martinez is hoping that Kompany’s injury worries will be a galvanizing force that could help propel FIFA’s third-ranked team deeper in Russia.

Here’s a closer look at the Belgium team:

COACH

It took a loss to Wales at the 2016 European Championship for Belgium to oust underachieving coach Marc Wilmots and turn to Martinez, a Spanish coach with Premier League experience.

Martinez led Belgium to the top of its qualifying group with an unbeaten record. But it’s unclear how a coach who spent most of his time with teams like Wigan, Swansea and Everton will fare at a World Cup.

At least he has already won a trophy, taking unheralded Wigan to the FA Cup title by beating Manchester City in 2013.

GOALKEEPERS

Having Thibaut Courtois in goal has made Belgium the envy of world football.

Then came the night in March at Barcelona when Lionel Messi beat Courtois twice with shots through the legs to open up the Chelsea goalkeeper to international ridicule for the first time. Courtois will need to banish any self-doubt in Russia.

When it comes to doubt, there is plenty of uncertainty about backup Simon Mignolet, who has been banished to the bench at Liverpool.

DEFENDERS

Previously known for its dour defensive prowess, Belgium added flair with Kompany, Alderweireld, Meunier and Jan Vertonghen.

Going into the World Cup, though, only Vertonghen, who just became the first Belgian to win 100 international appearances, inspires confidence and gets all the playing time he wants at Tottenham.

Every time the 32-year-old Kompany takes the field for Belgium, onlookers fear he could go down with another injury. That’s exactly what happened in a June 2 friendly against Portugal, casting his participation into doubt and prompting Martinez to name Los Angeles FC defender Laurent Ciman as a reserve.

MIDFIELDERS

This department is where Belgium’s genius resides, with De Bruyne and Hazard dazzling with sparkling moves and piercing passes. Even if their synergy on the field has not been perfect, Martinez has been getting close enough.

As if Hazard and De Bruyne don’t provide enough midfield flair, Martinez also is taking Adnan Januzaj, hoping his ability to beat defenders will carve out more chances for the strikers.

Radja Nainggolan, whose skillful doggedness helped take Roma past Barcelona in the Champions League, did not make the squad, an omission that angered many Belgium fans.

FORWARDS

The 24-year-old Lukaku is already Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with 33 goals.

All hope is invested in Lukaku staying fit and in form for the World Cup after an impressive first season leading the Manchester United attack, with De Bruyne and Hazard in support.

Martinez can also turn to Dries Mertens, the deft, diminutive winger-striker who was instrumental in Napoli’s pursuit of the Serie A title.

Michy Batshuayi was just hitting form with Dortmund when he injured his ankle in early April, but has won his race for fitness and will be going to Russia as Lukaku’s understudy.

GROUP GAMES

After opening in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday against Panama, the second Group G game is close to its Moscow base against Tunisia on June 23. The group concludes on June 28 against England in Kaliningrad.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona)

Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian)

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Borussia Dortmund), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli)

Belgium’s Eden Hazard in action with Costa Rica’s Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda and Johnny Acosta. Photo: Reuters

BERN: Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium beat fellow World Cup qualifiers Costa Rica 4-1 at home in a friendly on Monday while Senegal reportedly beat South Korea 2-0 in a mystery game played at an Austrian third division ground.

Dries Mertens and Michy Batshuayi were also on target for Belgium while Eden Hazard impressed with creativity and speed for the hosts, who start their World Cup campaign on Monday against Panama in Sochi.

Costa Rica, who were quarter-finalists four years ago and will play Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland in Group E, went ahead against the run of play with a goal by captain Bryan Ruiz in the 24th minute.

Mertens equalised before Lukaku scored either side of halftime and Batshuayi completed an impressive win for Belgium, whose team are hoping they can finally do justice to their golden generation tag in Russia under coach Roberto Martinez.

They disappointed in previous outings at major tournaments, losing in the quarter-finals to Argentina at the last World Cup in Brazil and then at the same stage to Wales at Euro 2016, both under Marc Wilmots.

There was confusion around Monday’s other friendly, also featuring two Russia-bound sides, which was played behind closed doors at the home of Groedig, a village near Salzburg.

Details of the game were not even available on betting websites, which generally carry results from even the most obscure matches, and there was outrage on social media, especially among those who had placed bets on the outcome.

The match appeared to kick off half an hour late and some media reports said that Senegal won 2-0 after Kim Young-gwon put through his own net and Moussa Konate scored in the 90th minute.

Neither federation, however, had published the result on its website several hours after the end of the match, although the Senegalese website had their team’s starting 11.

FIFA could not immediately be reached to comment on whether the game would be considered a full international.

The World Cup kicks off on Thursday when hosts Russia play Saudi Arabia.