Euro 2008, Group A, round three
Switzerland (4th, 0pts), Portugal (1st, 6pts)
Sunday, June 15 (2045 CET)
St Jakob Park, Basel
Konrad Plautz
And so Group A is coming to a close. It has been fairly entertaining though not all that surprising, but most definitely full of quality. Even co-hosts Switzerland - who are bottom with no points - have played some good football and looked just a player or two short of being a genuine force.
Portugal, meanwhile, have done exactly what was expected of them and picked up two wins out of two. They were really made to fight for both their results, but had the capability to put the gloss on both results at the death.
They have been clinical and are one of the only top teams who have looked relatively solid in defence. That is to their credit and to Switzerland’s detriment, as they are a side severely lacking in firepower.
What they can boast, though, is a solid midfield unit. Gökhan Inler has done his growing reputation no harm this summer, while Valon Behrami has established himself a top right-winger (or wing-back, as he plays at club level) and will surely make a big summer move following his performances in the tournament so far. Tranquillo Barnetta is lesser known but another young, exciting prospect in left wing, and Manchester City’s Gelson Fernandes, while not being so individually exceptional, complements the rest of the unit quite well.
The midfield, of course, is Portugal’s specialty. It is therefore likely that for all Switzerland’s quality in the middle, they will find themselves in a league beyond their own and be on the back foot for much of the encounter against Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men.
It may prove to be a battle between the Swiss defence and the Portuguese attack on the most part, and the co-hosts can be afforded little hope if that proves to be the case. They may be able to sit deep and hit on the break with their wide men, but even then, their first two games have shown that the finishing touch is decidedly lacking.
It is top versus bottom and picking a favourite is fairly elementary decision-making, but what we can expect is an open game with a fine atmosphere and hopefully, a lot of goals.
Switzerland
June 11
Switzerland 1-2 Turkey
(Euro 2008)
June 07
Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic
(Euro 2008)
May 30
Switzerland 3-0 Liechtenstein
(Friendly)
May 24
Switzerland 2-0 Slovakia
(Friendly)
Mar 26
Switzerland 0-4 Germany
(Friendly)
Feb 06
England 2-1 Switzerland
(Friendly)
June 11
Portugal 3-1 Czech Republic
(Euro 2008)
June 07
Portugal 2-0 Turkey
(Euro 2008)
May 31
Portugal 2-0 Georgia
(Friendly)
Mar 26
Portugal 1-2 Greece
(Friendly)
Feb 06
Italy 3-1 Portugal
(Friendly)
Nov 21
Portugal 0-0 Finland
(ECQ)
Switzerland
Unless Köbi Kuhn decides to give some his second string a run-out in this dead-rubber, it will be by and large the same line-up for the Swiss, as Kuhn is hoping to register the first ever Swiss win at a European Championship. Eren Derdiyok, who impressed against Turkey, may be the third Swiss striker to be ruled out with injury along with captain and all-time leading scorer and Marco Streller. There is a chance Yakin may be required to lead the line and another midfielder drafted in to restore the balance.
Switzerland Probable starting line-up (4-4-1-1): Benaglio - Lichtsteiner, Muller, Senderos, Magnin - Behrami, Inler, Fernandes, Barnetta - Yakin - Derdiyok
Portugal
There are no injuries to report from the Portugese camp, but Scolari is rumoured to be resting the likes of Simao, Deco and Ronaldo.
Portugal Probable starting line-up (4-5-1): Ricardo - Bosingwa, Pepe, Carvalho, Ferreira - Quaresma, Moutinho, Petit, Deco, Ronaldo - Nuno Gomes
