Switzerland vs. Italy

After failing to qualify for the last two editions Switzerland claimed a place in Germany. In their last appearance in USA 1994 they made it to the round of 16 but fell 3-0 against runner-up Italy.

In the qualifying stage before the play-off second-leg defeat by Turkey, the Swiss had gone a full year and 14 straight games without defeats; evidence of the growing strength of a team that includes players who attracted rave reviews at various under-age levels. Their line-up in the play-offs featured Tranquillo Barnetta and Philippe Senderos, both of whom claimed UEFA European U-17 Championship honors in 2002.

This is a very young athletic Swiss team that can be a pleasant surprise for soccer fans this summer in Germany as they face France, Korea Republic and Togo in their group stage. But meanwhile, they have a few friendly matches among them they will face Italy one of the clear contenders for the title in Germany.

In other news coach Kobi Kuhn left out Swiss star Hakan Yakin of his 23 man squad for the tournament. Allegedly Yaking suffered a groin injury that left him out of playing for a few weeks. He has recovered now but unfortunately won