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Alejandro Sabella, the coach of Argentina, will field a close to full-strength squad on their visit to Bern to take on hosts Switzerland. Three regulars who have been forced out of contention due to injuries are Angel Di Maria, Ever Banega and Nicolas Burdisso, while in-form Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi was overlooked by the coach.
Sabella...
England vs Switzerland: No Captaincy Issues With Rio - John Terry
John Terry was reinstated as captain prior to England's qualifying match against Wales two months ago due to Ferdinand's constant absence in the national team because of injuries. That decision came under fire from many sources but Terry is confident that there is no grudges between him and Ferdinand as they prepare to face the Swiss tomorrow.Terry said: ''Things are not uncomfortable between us, not at all. Rio has got an awful lot to give in the dressing room anyway which he naturally will, like the (other) older players in the squad.
England Vs Switzerland: Lampard Motivated By Youngsters In England Fold
Frank Lampard might be an experienced midfielder but even he reckons that none of that matters with the amount of quality present within the youth talent in the Three Lions squad. The Chelsea midfielder however insists that all these things can only further motivate him as England prepare to host Switzerland this weekend.“When I first came into the squad I looked at Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt in the midfield and thought to myself ‘I’m after your shirt,’ and the young ones are now saying the same about me.
“That’s my challenge. It drives me on to stay in the side."
England Vs Switzerland: I Feared For My National Team Future - Stewart Downing
Aston Villa midfielder Stewart Downing is now a happy man, having pegged himself back into the England squad after the 26 year-old admitted that a foot injury two years ago could have brought an end to his international football chances.Downing made his debut back in 2005 but inconsistency and injuries saw him being left out of the frail. But his good form for Aston Villa has seen him force his way back into contention for a spot in the national team.
"When I was injured for a long time and missed a lot of football and England games, other people came in and took their chance. Credit to them. For me, personally, it wasn't good.
Swiss Test not Easy for England - EURO 2012 Qualifying Round Preview.
By Paul Vance
Published Sep 6, 2010 @ 23:30 PM EST.
The over-expectant English public will be demanding victory, but the inconsistent Swiss will provide tricky opposition in Basel, a venue where England has previously won 3 times. Basel also played host to the last occasion of a Swiss victory over the English, back in 1981. That was Switzerland’s only victory over England since winning two of the first three meetings between the countries back in the 30’s and 40’s.
Their form throughout the qualifying and Finals for the last World Cup, make the Swiss an unpredictable package, while it’s anyone’s guess which England will turn-up - the one that can breeze easily and efficiently through qualification, or the cautious, nervy version that normally features in tournament play.
Much may depend on how recent newspaper speculation affects Wayne Rooney and on which of the sides handles the absence of key players, best. England has particular problems at the heart of their defense, adding Michael Dawson to an injury-list that already included Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Philippe Senderos and Marco Eggimann will miss out for the hosts, who may also be missing expectant father, goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.
Interestingly, English-born right-back Scott Sutter who recently played Champions League football for Young Boys Berne against boyhood heroes Tottenham Hotspur, hopes now to upset his favorite national team. "Switzerland has become my home," the 24-year-old said. "However, it is doubly special to be in the squad to face the nation where I was born and grew up."
Elsewhere in Group G, Bulgaria who have not won in five, will be hoping for improvement after their 4-0 battering at Wembley, when they take on Montenegro. It’s the debut campaign for the Montenegrins in the European Championships having made their bow last Friday by narrowly defeating Wales in Podgorica.
Switzerland Vs. England - Euro 2012 Qualifier
Ottmar Hitzfeld, the Switzerland coach, will be hoping to get the Schweizer Nati to the Euro 2012 tournament for the third tournament in a row after successfully reaching the finals in Portugal and getting a free ride with home field advantage in the 2008 Austria/Switzerland finals. Switzerland open their account in Basle against Group G leaders England and have only played Australia since their unsuccessful World Cup tournament in South Africa, despite beating the soon to be World Champions Spain in their opening World Cup match, one-nil.
The Swiss are a well organised side and the experienced Swiss coach Hitzfeld has his team physically ready and a hard unit to breakdown, as Australia found in their recent nil-nil draw. Hitzfeld’s team is predominantly made of Swiss based players with almost half of them playing for the nation’s two top clubs, Basel and Young Boys, with the rest in neighboring Italy, German and France. Switzerland will be looking to be at least on the cusp of the automatic qualification spot in the group by October 8th 2011, if not in the play-off berth.
2010 World Cup: Switzerland 0-0 Honduras – Report
Honduras gave a good account of themselves by putting up a good defense and working vigorously to avoid humiliation. Reynaldo Rueda’s men certainly felt that too much was need from them to get onto the next stage.
So if Friday night’s match was their last in South Africa, it was worth proving to the world that they are capable of doing one thing: send Spain’s giant killers home. Even then, the Swiss were fortunate not to concede a goal. If Los Catrachos’ front men were more accurate, Switzerland’s damage would have been worse.
Actually, chances were there for Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men to create a positive result. It was frustrating for Swiss fans to see the team ignoring the counterattacking game plan despite dominating.
Switzerland vs Honduras – 2010 World Cup Match Preview
Honduras – Faking Or Feeling Impotence?
Honduras have given up the chase to reach the knock-out stages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Although they stand a mathematical chance of surviving the undecided section that constitutes Group H, Coach Reynaldo Rueda has branded tonight’s game against Switzerland as a match of honor. Saddened by Los Catrachos’ two defeats on the trot which have put their campaign in jeopardy, the boss stated:
“We would like to score three goals [and have a chance of reaching the knockout phase], but we also depend on the outcome of the Chile vs Spain encounter. I believe this match [against Switzerland] is a match of honor, one for our dignity.
Chile 1 - 0 Switzerland - FIFA World Cup 2010 - Report
As soon as the game started both teams made perfectly clear what they were looking for in this match. Switzerland's defensive scheme worked wonders against the Furia five days ago, and the same strategy was used against Marcelo Bielsa's squad, who had as much space as they needed in the midfield. Humberto Suazo's caution on minute 2 showed the game was going to be fought teeth to teeth, as every meter was determinant against European's sturdy defense.
Chile vs Switzerland - FIFA World Cup 2010 Match Preview
Marcelo Bielsa is writing history with Chile, as the future appears to be as bright as possible for La Roja, having returned to the top of a world championship group after more than 50 years. With a team full of promises and diamonds in the rough, not even the absence of a legend as Humberto Suazo was enough to quiet this renewed Chilean spirit that advances without caring for the consequences. Alexis Sanchez is the bearer of Bielsa's scheme: Aged 22, Wonder Kid is eager to take Chile further than ever in this competition. Their rival has just defeated Spain, the undisputed favorite for this competition, and taking down an American promise will embed the Swiss with the rage needed to claim Group H's first position.
2010 World Cup: Spain 0-1 Switzerland – Spain’s Curse In South Africa Continues – Group H
Spain Loses Again In South Africa
Not even a year has passed since Spain lost a match for the first time since 2007. This sad moment happened on June 24 in the 2009 Confederations Cup held in South Africa, where the European title holders Spain strangely went down 2-0 against the United States in the semifinal of the tournament.
That day, history was made not only for USA, but also for the South Africans, whose land had witnessed the “downfall” of Europe’s biggest team. Spain finished 3rd in that competition after beating the hosts in the third-place final on extra time; but just as they thought they could rebuild their 2007-09 unbeaten run afterward, they experienced an upset in their first 2010 FIFA World Cup encounter.
2010 World Cup: Spain 0-1 Switzerland – Report
Spain vs Switzerland, First Half: Spain Dominate, Switzerland Can Only Defend
As soon as the match kicked off, Switzerland eyed for a goal with Barnetta running forward to get to the other end of a through ball. But he was well prevented by his Spanish marker and the Swiss’ attack resulted in nothing too serious.
The Spanish quickly took over at the crowd’s expectations. The game was mainly played from the center of the field to Switzerland’s half. Sergio Ramos contributed in sending the game forward from the right wing; the Swiss couldn’t quite deal with Spain’s flawless passes in midfield. Actually, La Furia Roja looked relaxed although they seemed to find it a bit hard to find a way past Switzerland’s packed defense. So, Swiss’ Blaise NKufo and Barnetta didn’t have much to do upfront. The pair just couldn't get the right balls.
Spain vs Switzerland – 2010 World Cup Match Preview
European Champions Spain To Go For The Kill
When will La Furia Roja ever stumble to a defeat again since surprisingly losing to the United States in the semi-finals of the 2009 Confederations Cup tournament?
This year, the Spanish national team of football have played four games – all being friendly matches – and they experienced nothing order than victories. France, Saudi Arabia, the Korea Republic, and Poland lately, have all been consumed by Spain’s red fury. Like they do it best, Vicente del Bosque’s men are once again expected to destroy their Swiss counterparts – whether emphatically or narrowly.
The truth is that pundits are tipping the Spanish to grab nine points out of nine, and prolific striker David Villa is rather happy than nervous about the way the public view his side.
Group H – 2010 FIFA World Cup
Spain and Chile are regarded as the group’s “Big Guys” despite the European champions taking the upper hand. Now Honduras and Switzerland somehow look overshadowed by the so-called favorites.
Group H – The favorites at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
Spain
La Roja are aware that they have all it takes to rule Group H, and probably, win the World Cup. Still, they seem to show good signs of psychology by disallowing complaisance to get them distracted. The Spanish are surrounded by strong-minded countries who are all aiming for a place in the knockout phase of the 2010 World Cup, and this is what makes it harder for the Euro 2008 champions to feel relax in their group.
Nonetheless, the bronze medalists of the 2009 Confederations Cup are said to be in the best of shapes, shining through some of the world’s biggest stars, among which lie David Villa, Fernando Torres, and a bunch of other players. Getting a maximum of 9 points in Group H will certainly be a must for Coach Vicente del Bosque, who looks poised to positively change Spain’s history in the tournament and bring his country their first World Cup trophy ever.
Switzerland Team Profile – 2010 FIFA World Cup
Switzerland – The country, the football
Switzerland – officially known as the Swiss Confederation – is a country located in the western part of the European continent. Its neighboring countries are Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein.
Switzerland does not possess a vast territory, and it is ranked in 136th position in the world with a total area of about 41,284 km2. When it comes to estimating the entire population of the country, Switzerland comes in 94th position according to a 2009 census, as it is said to contain a little bit more than 7.7 million people.
The country co-hosted the European Championship with Austria in 2008, but the Swiss national football team – which is nicknamed “Schweizer Nati” in German, and “La Nati” in French – couldn’t qualify for the tournament’s knockout stages due to two consecutive winless matches in the group stage.
Switzerland vs Italy – International Friendly Match Preview
But who knows what this friendly match will bring until it kicks off at 18:45 GMT on June 5? After all, the Italians just lost their unbeaten record against Mexico with a 2-1 defeat in Bruxelles on Thursday.
Marcelo Lippi’s men played poorly in defense only to give a headache to the coach ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Italy’s objective against Switzerland will be to rectify all the mistakes that caused them to fall against Mexico on June 3. Captain Fabio Cannavaro said his side will do just that. In a post match statement, the former world player of the year declared:
"We need to improve, and we will. In this way we will be ready for the match against Paraguay on June 14."
Switzerland vs Costa Rica – International Friendly Match Preview
Switzerland have played only twice since ending their European World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0-0 draw at home to Israel. These two games, unfortunately for the Swiss, resulted in defeats to Norway and to struggling side Uruguay. The Euro 2008 co-hosts are now looking forward to surmounting the obstacles that will be present during the 2010 World Cup.
Switzerland will take Monday’s match as a perfect opportunity to prepare for their second group stage encounter in South Africa which will be against South American side Chile. The Swiss aren’t tipped as favorites to progress from their table although prediction foresee respectful score lines and displays from this emerging footballing nation during the World Cup. Switzerland’s coach and players will be very much relieved should they beat Costa Rica in their friendly match on Monday.
Uruguay vs Switzerland
After a harsh qualification, Uruguay finally managed to obtain a place in South Africa, and they know they must make the most of this opportunity not to be left with a bitter taste in their mouth. They've entered a death group, facing World Cup's host South Africa along with an European giant (France) and a Latin American promise yet unable to take off (Mexico). They have booked their place for the World Cup upon a draw last November home, making their victory in the first leg of the South America/CONCACAF play-off be enough to take them to the Cup.
One of the many surprises for this match will be defender's Sebastián Coates, who will take the place of Mauricio Victorino and Alvaro Fernández, both unable to leave Chile after the vicious earthquake that shook the country the last few days.
FC Zurich v Real Madrid Champions League Match Preview
Real Madrid poised to clinch victory
A trip to Switzerland doesn’t automatically suggest a good start for Los Blancos in the upcoming European campaign.
Such away encounters could prove to be very tricky and Manuel Pellegrini will certainly be alerted by the obstacles that Zurich could pose on Tuesday.
The Argentine manager will certainly line up all a strong squad for the encounter, which means that Real Madrid’s big summer signings might all feature as starters if they are made available (in terms of fitness).