Valon Behrami says the competitive nature of the World Cup makes the tournament similar to the Premier League.

The former Watford midfielder, who remains a popular figure among Hornets fans, helped Switzerland progress to the last-16 in Russia with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica last night.

He has enjoyed a strong tournament and was instrumental in shackling Neymar in Switzerland’s 1-1 opening game stalemate against Brazil.

Having played for both Watford and West Ham United in the Premier League, Behrami has plenty of experience of the competition and says the World Cup has a similar feel.

“The level of the tournament is very balanced,” Behrami said. “Anyone can be a surprise. It’s like the Premier League, you kind of expect every kind of result everywhere.

“We should be happy we are going through. Argentina took a risk and qualified in the last five minutes, so really, in this World Cup, anything can happen.”