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England travel to Basel on Tuesday, to take on Switzerland in the second match of their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. This will be the first qualifying game for the Swiss and they'll be looking to start on a bright note. Switzerland were the only side to beat Spain at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, so England would be foolish to take them lightly. The English were fairly impressive in their 4-0 victory over Bulgaria, with Jermain Defoe scoring an impressive hat-trick while Wayne Rooney was at the heart of their attack and playing a part in all the goals. Meanwhile, the Swiss drew 0-0 against Australia in a friendly on Friday, with veteran striker Alexander Frei missing a penalty for Ottmar Hitzfeld's men.

Switzerland

Ottmar Hitzfeld has done a good job so far with the National team, with the win against Spain at the World Cup being the pinnacle. They rested quite a few players for their game against Australia, with the likes of Tranquillo Barnetta and Diego Benaglio sitting on the bench. England will pose a much bigger threat, but expect Hitzfeld to stick to his principles and start with an attacking line-up. Diego Benaglio, who is a top quality keeper, will miss the qualifier due to personal reasons. Therefore, Marco Wölfli is expected to start in goal while the rest of back four is quite settled. In Stephan Lichtsteiner, Stéphane Grichting, Steve von Bergen and Reto Ziegler they possess physically strong defenders who are hard break down. Gökhan Inler and Gelson Fernandes are the primary driving force in midfield. David Degen, who impressed for Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League Play-offs in the home leg against Tottenham Hotspur could well start on the right wing especially with Barnetta's late withdrawal from the squad and Benjamin Huggel's omission.

The Captain, Alexander Frei missed a penalty against Australia and will be looking to amends on Tueday against Basel. Eren Derdiyok might partner Frei up front, considering Hitzfeld favours a 4-4-2. The Swiss are a very physical side but they also possess a few quality players who could cause England trouble.

England

Fabio Capello continued to show faith in the 4-4-2 in the game against Bulgaria, despite the formation failing miserably at the World Cup. The truth is players make formations work, formations are meaningless if the personnel aren't competent. With a 4-4-2, especially against teams that are better at passing the ball, the 2 central midfielders can get over run but England still lack the midfielder who can stitch things together in the middle of the park. The biggest positive from the game was Joe Hart's performance. The goal-keeping position has been a massive problem for England over the last few years and the young Manchester City keeper's display augurs well for the National team.

The one sour note was the injury to Michael Dawson. The Spurs center back looked solid alongside Phil Jagielka in the center of defence though his replacement, Gary Cahill, also looked composed for the last half hour he was on. Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry had a fairly decent game in midfield while James Milner and Theo Walcott showed glimpses of their talents. Defoe and Rooney showed the makings of a very successful partnership up front, with Rooney's movement and vision combined with Defoe's finishing ripping apart the Bulgarian defence.

England are at their best when the passing is quick and sharp, with the Gerrard-Rooney axis vital to its fortunes. The intense scrutiny of Capello's team will continue but at least they have responded in the right way to the disappointment at the World Cup. The tabloid allegations against Rooney have cast a shadow over the preparations for the game with many pundits questioning the striker's state of mind for an important qualifier. Capello has declared that he will assess the player over the next 24 hours before making a decision, but it would not come as too big a shock if Capello decides to leave Rooney on the bench and only use him if absolutely necessary.

Probable Line-Ups:

Switzerland (4-4-2): Wölfli (Gk), Lichtsteiner , Grichting, Von Bergen, Ziegler, Degen, Inler, Fernandes, Shaqiri,  Derdiyok, Frei

The Swiss have been rocked by the news that Benaglio and Barnetta will miss the qualifier against England. Benaglio has withdrawn due to personal reasons while Barnetta will miss the match due to a flu. Marco Wölfli is expected to replace Benaglio in goal while Marco Padalino has been called up as a replacement for Barnetta. The team should line-up in a familiar 4-4-2 formation on Tuesday. Philippe Senderos is out with an injury so Grichting and Von Bergen should start at the center of defence. Lichtsteiner and Ziegler are expected to start at the full-back positions. David Degen is expected to start on the right wing in the absence of Barnetta while the young winger, Xherdan Shaqiri might start on the left. Hitzfeld has a decision to make in central midfield, with Fernandes and Xavier Margairaz the options to partner Inler. Frei and Eren Derdiyok are expected to start up front.

England (4-4-2): Hart (Gk), Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill, Cole, Johnson, Gerrard, Barry, Milner, Rooney, Defoe

The big change for England will be in central defence, where Cahill is expected to start alongside Jagielka. Dawson will be out for 6-8 weeks, but the National team has chosen not to call in a replacement. There has been late conformation that Scott Carson has also not traveled to Switzerland due to a family tragedy and will be replaced by Watford keeper Scott Loach. Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole should start as full-backs while Joe Hart will start in goal. Theo Walcott had a mediocre game against Bulgaria and might be replaced by Adam Johnson, who impressed after coming on. Johnson offers something different on the right wing and with a strong left foot he has all the makings of a great winger. Gerrard and Barry should start in central midfield, considering Michael Carrick is the only other central midfielder in the squad. Defoe looks set to shrug off the ankle knock that forced him to be substituted late on against Bulgaria, and start alongside Rooney up front.

Prediction: The Swiss will offer a much sterner test for England and they will have to be at their best if they are to get a result at Basel. Switzerland don't score many goals but would need to be adventurous in their home games at the very least if they hope to progress in this competition. The absence of Barnetta and Benaglio will be a big blow for the home side and makes their task all the more difficult. If England close down the Swiss players and put in an energetic display they should come away with all three points.

Predicted Score: Switzerland 0-2 England

File Photograph Copyright: Reto Stauffer

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