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The team from the land of chocolates, Roger Federer and bank accounts make their 9th Journey to the World's biggest stage in the hope of finally making its way past the Quarter-finals. The last time Switzerland graced the last 8 of the FIFA World Cup was over 50 years ago, and since then the team that should run like clockwork has been an irregular visitor to the World Cup Finals.
The Swiss are placed in Group H along with Spain, Chile and Honduras. With Spain firm favourites to top the group, Switzerland will fight it out against Chile and Honduras for the second knockout round spot. Chile are ranked higher than the Swiss and are likely to be the team to beat after an excellent South American qualifying campaign that saw them finish second behind Brazil.
The Schweizer Nati finished top of their group during qualifying ahead of Greece. Their group also consisted of Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg and Moldova. They won 6, drew 3 and lost 1 game. That solitary defeat came at the hands of Luxembourg at home, which was the only scar in their otherwise impressive qualification drive.
Switzerland did make their way into the round of 16 at Germany 2006 only to be shown the door by Ukraine on penalties. The match ended 0-0 after 120 minutes. Switzerland co-hosted Euro 2008 along with Austria and it turned out to be quite a nightmare for them as they were ousted in the group stages.
Games against the Honduras and Chile should be the ones, Switzerland must have their eyes on. A minimum of 4 points from those two encounters would be key to keeping their round of 16 hopes alive.
Key Players:
Alexander Frei - Switzerland's all-time record goalscorer, Alexander Frei, will once again be leading the line this summer. A constant source of goals, Frei will be looking to put aside his disappointment at missing Euro 2008 through injury with a strong campaign in South Africa. The FC Basel striker scored 5 goals in his qualifying campaign and despite a major arm injury in February he is expected to recover in time for the World Cup.
Gokhan Inler - Inler is a Swiss born player of Turkish descent plying his trade in Italy. The central midfielder has spent 3 very impressive seasons at Udinese Calcio and has been the source of many a transfer rumour. The 25 year old will be the anchorman of the team, trying to control things in the middle of the park and Switzerland will hope to get maximum out of him.
Valon Behrami - The hardworking versatile player, Valon Behrami can play equally well in both defence and midfield. His high work rate and excellent distribution make him a prize asset for both club and country. The West Ham player appeared for a mere two minutes at the 2006 World Cup following a groin injury, so he will be desperate to impress at the big stage this time around in South Africa.
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Johnny Leoni (Zurich), Marco Wolfli (Young Boys).
Defenders: Mario Eggimann (Hannover), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio), Philippe Senderos (Fulham), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Steve Von Bergen (Hertha Berlin), Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria).
Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Valon Behrami (West Ham), Gelson Fernandes (St Etienne), Benjamin Huggel (Basle), Gokhan Inler (Udinese), Marco Padalino (Sampdoria), Pirmin Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Xherdan Shaqiri (Basle).
Forwards: Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexander Frei (Basle), Blaise Nkufo (FC Twente), Marco Streller (Basle), Hakan Yakin (Lucerne).
Top Goal Scorers: Alexander Frei (40), Hakan Yakin (20)
Most Capped Players: Hakan Yakin (80), Alexander Frei (73)
Head Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Form Guide: (DLLDW)
Oct 10, Luxembourg 0-3 Switzerland
Oct 14, Switzerland 0-0 Isreal
Nov 14, Switzerland 0-1 Norway
Mar 03, Switzerland 1-3 Uruguay
Jun 05, Switzerland 1-1 Italy
Fixtures:
16-Jun: Spain vs. Switzerland 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report
21-Jun: Chile vs. Switzerland 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report
25-Jun: Switzerland vs. Honduras (GMT)
Team Trivia
Switzerland became the first country to be knocked out from the World Cup finals without conceding a goal, during the 2006 edition in Germany.
Also Read:
Group Competitior Previews: Spain, Chile, Honduras
File Photograph Copyright: Reto Stauffer
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