Swiss target opening win

Switzerland will launch an all-out attack on Croatia in tomorrow’s Group B opener in a bid to lay the platform for qualification for the knock-out stages.

Hamburg midfielder Raphael Wicky knows that, with reigning European champions France and Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England to come, defeat by Otto Baric’s side would leave the Swiss with a mountain to climb, and to that end, they are determined to get a result from their first match in Leiria.

“There would still be hope if we didn’t win,” he said. “However, it would make our task much harder because the other teams in the group are stronger than Croatia.

“If we allow them to play, then we will be in trouble because they are technically outstanding.

“In order to stop them getting into their stride, we need to put them under constant pressure.”

The Swiss have prepared for the game at the five-star Praia D’El Rey resort near Obidos, although they have trained behind closed doors with several fans turning up to watch an open session at the Estadio Municipal in Obidos last night which never materialised.

However, Wicky insists that they have had nothing to hide.

“Most teams do it, but I don’t think we have any big secrets to surprise Croatia with,” Wicky told www.uefa.com. “It’s very difficult to keep secrets from the opposition these days.

“Everything has been going very smoothly for us out here and we only have a few small details to work on now.”

Swiss coach Jakob Kuhn has few injury concerns and is confident that his most worrying, the thigh problem with which PSV Eindhoven midfielder Johann Vogel arrived in Portugal, will not keep him out of the game.