Betting tips Switzerland

World Cup appearances: 7
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals; 1934, 1938 & 1954
FIFA World Ranking: 20
Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Captain: Alexander Frei

Switzerland Team Profile

The Swiss aren’t a country you would automatically associate with strong World Cup’s but they have gone as far as the Quarter-Finals back in their heyday, although their heyday was a good half-a-century ago. They qualified for the finals on seven previous occasions, with South Africa being their eighth, but their previous best display came way back in 1954 when they reached the Quarter-Finals… again. However, they have since rarely made the finals itself, qualifying just four times since the 60′s, failing to make the cut on eight occasions.

Switzerland did, however, get as far as the last sixteen in Germany, 2006 before losing on a penalty shoot-out, with the Swizz not managing one goal in the shoot-out, losing 3-0 to Ukraine in what was one of the poorest penalty shoot-outs I think I’ve ever seen. They flopped completely at the Euro’s in 2008, exiting after just two group games despite being the hosts. They did, however, gain a consolation victory in the form of a shock 2-0 win over Portugal, of whom had already qualified for the latter stage of the tournament.

The Swiss aren’t the powerhouse of old and are often seen as a team most nations would prefer in their group. They also wear a red and white styled kit for both their home and away games, with their home kit a red top and white shorts while their away kit is vice verse.

Switzerland Key Players

Alexander Frei

Despite entering his 30′s last year, Frei is still Switzerland best player by a country mile and has remained their most prolific goalscorer for quite some time now, scoring 40 goals in his 70 caps for Switzerland. He averages over a goal every-other-game for his country and his stunning goal return ratio has earned him the captain’s armband, although his wealth of experience would have had a hand in that decision. Frei is currently settled in Switzerland after joining Basel last season from Borussia Dortmund in Germany and has found scoring a breeze back in his native country. He is a calm and composed sort who doesn’t often miss one-on-one’s nor does he miss too many sitters.

Strengths / Weakness

Not the best at attacking, weak looking midfield and a defence which doesn’t fill me with any great deal of confidence. Moreover, the Swiss are one of thee dullest sides to watch due to their slow tempo style of playing and their inability to retain possession, especially against the elite footballing nations. They don’t have any players which could entertain the neutrals, with Hakan Yakin being the only player we would keep an eye on. Very little in terms of positives, none in fact, but plenty of negatives, despite a decent defensive record in qualifying.

Switzerland Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: European
Group: 2
Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-3-1
Goals Scored: 18
Goals Conceded: 8

Switzerland came through an unattractive looking Group 2, fending off Greece, Latvia & Isreal, with neither of the mentioned nations anything special, which just goes to show how easy the Swiss had it during qualification. They did, though, lose just once in ten qualifiers, although that was a shock home defeat to Luxermbourg.

World Cup Potential: 1/5

Switzerland are one of a rare few nations we can’t stand to watch as they’re so dull. Their attacks have a knack of pittering out into nothing, while they don’t have any noteworthy players in their squad. Their defence looks mighty exposed against some of the more prolific attacking country’s and will almost certainly be found wanting in South Africa. The Swiss are a team we would steer well clear of in the betting market. We would even go as far as saying we would avoid watching them on the TV if you’re in the slightest bit vulnerable to a a sudden nap after a hard days work. 

Switzerland World Cup Betting Odds

Switzerland to win the World Cup: 100/1 BetFred

Before the World Cup the odds on Switzerland were 200/1 

Official Switzerland World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Diego Benaglio (VfL Wolfsburg)

Marco Wölfli (Young Boys Bern)

Johnny Leoni (FC Zurich)

Defenders

Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio Roma)

Philippe Senderos (Everton)

Stephane Grichting (AJ Auxerre)

Steve von Bergen (Hertha BSC Berlin)

Mario Eggimann (Hannover 96)

Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria Genoa)

Ludovic Magnin (FC Zurich)

Midfielders

Valon Behrami (West Ham United)

Gökhan Inler (Udinese Calcio)

Benjamin Huggel (FC Basle)

Pirmin Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Gelson Fernandes (AS St. Etienne)

Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen)

Xherdan Shaqiri (FC Basle)

Marco Padalino (Sampdoria Genoa)

Hakan Yakin (FC Lucerne)

Strikers

Alexander Frei (FC Basle)

Blaise Nkufo (Twente Enschede)

Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen)

Albert Bunjaku (1. FC Nuremberg)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Switzerland Fixtures – Group H

World Cup 2010 Group H - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

2010 World Cup Betting is worth casting an eye over the potential of Switzerland. The Swiss finished top of their qualification group, ahead of Portugal and Sweden, and that alone should put them in good stead to make progress at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Switzerland are in Group H of the tournament, drawn alongside Honduras, Chile and Spain, and they look as if they will be the stand out side of stability and efficiency in the group. Spain have the all round quality in defence and attack to beat any other side in the tournament, while Chile and Honduras will likely bring forth a more adventurous attacking form of football. But, as shown through qualification, Switzerland are a steady, controlled and economical side, who may not be the most adventurous of teams in the competition, but they know how to get the job done.

Are the Swiss expected to have holes in their defence? Not if two of their mainstays have anything to do with it. Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio has claimed the number one shirt for his own, and put in some impressive performances during qualification. He knows what sort of a team will be playing in front of him at the World Cup, it will a team which he trusts, and a team full of players who trust one another. That is the strength of the Swiss, their ability to dig deep and tactically counteract what the opposition bring to the party. Wolfsburg star Benaglio, has been bothered with injuries all season long, back is back in time to reclaim his starting shirt, something which even the best bookmakers for betting on the World Cup should take notice of, in match odds. The Swiss, especially with their number one keeper installed, will be a tough side to break down, and a good bet for stealing points in the group stage.

Veteran full back Stephane Grichting is still looking forward to a bright future, after helping his club Auxerre reach the Champions League next season. Grichting may be remembered for the wrong reasons, after being kicked in the stomach at the final whistle of a tumultuous World Cup qualification game against Turkey in 2005. After only being a squad player at Euro 2008, Grichting is back, fitter and stronger than ever,  putting his international faith in Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. Hitzeld is no-nonsense coach who does not look at star status, but wants players who are performing at the top of their game, and that is a clear vindication for Grichting, in not retiring from international football after Euro 2008.

Switzerland’s defence will be their key weapon to take into consideration when studying World Cup Odds, as the incredibly tight unit only let in eight during their qualification. The Switzerland defence, lies down the solid foundation for a conservative approach to games, but one that works for them in being able to shut out attacking teams and absorb a lot of pressure. In a similar story, Switzerland didn’t let in a single group goal at Germany 2006 as they finished first in the race to the second round. However, can Switzerland find the right balance of attack when needed? Can they absorb the pressure of Spain and Chile, and find strength in unity to qualify from Group H?

Switzerland Squad:
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio, Johnny Leoni, Marco Woelfli
Defenders: Mario Eggimann, Stephane Grichting, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Philippe Senderos, Christoph Spycher, Steve Von Bergen, Reto Ziegler
Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta, Valon Behrami, Gelson Fernandes, Benjamin Huggel, Goekhan Inler, Marco Padalino, Pirmin Schwegler, Xherdan Shaqiri, Hakan Yakin
Strikers: Eren Derdiyok, Alexander Frei, Blaise Nkufo, Marco Streller

Switzerland can next be seen in action in an International Friendly against Costa Rica on June 1st

Group H World Cup Betting Preview: The favourites for the 2010 FIFA World Cup go in Group H of the competition, which has a very Hispanic flavour to it.

World Cup Teams: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

This could possibly be one of the most entertaining groups of South Africa 2010, simply because of the style of football which will be played throughout. Spain have long been favourites to break their duck and lift the World Cup, as they have grown in stature over the past couple of years, winning Euro 2008 and cruising through their European Qualification group. In 2008 they hit the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time ever and have not looked back. The Spaniards barely broke a sweat, or so it seemed at times, in reaching the historic tournament in South Africa, with star striker David Villa chipping in with a healthy tally of seven goals. Betting on Spain at the World Cup looks like a fairly safe bet, as they ooze quality throughout their side, and it is hard to see any weaknesses there. They went through qualification in what could have been a tricky group, without dropping a single point. Their ten wins from ten games, came along with 28 goals scored (second highest behind England’s 34) and conceding just five. Only Holland, in their abridged group, qualified with a 100% record. Arsenal’s star midfielder Cesc Fabregas is expected to be fit in time for the Spanish World Cup campaign, and when you plug him into a team which can field Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Xavi, to name a few, the sheer talent on display looks formidable. They travelled to the Stade de France to take on France in a friendly in March, running out 2-0 winners and making the French look terribly unorganised and unprepared for a major tournament. Spain will begin their World Cup Fixtures, under the guidance of coach Vicente del Bosque, against European side Switzerland. Where in the past there have always been questions over consistency and big match mentality, Spain are firm favourites in World Cup Betting to take home the trophy. The closest they have gotten before is three Quarter Final exits. Standing in their way first is Switzerland, who sprang something of a surprise in winning their qualification group ahead of Greece. Switzerland may unleash a wealth of young talent in their quest to qualify from the group behind Spain, and they have the advantage of having a master technician leading them, in the guise of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. The tough qualification group will have instilled the Swiss with a good sense of determination, grit and fight, as the battle pretty much went down to the wire. The Swiss only lost one match in winning the group, and should be tough opponents as they take on the European Champions in their opening fixture. They do have a chance of getting out of the group, but if they lose the first game heavily, it could destroy their confidence. Chile are seen as a much stronger threat to Spain, and rightly so. The South American side pushed Brazil all the way in qualification, finishing just one point behind them, and finishing just one goal shy of Brazil’s tally as well. This makes Chile a threat, possibly one of the strongest dark horses. There is a strong contingent coming from South America, with Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina all heading to South Africa. Chile’s second place finish in qualification may have been a bit of surprise, but they are certainly not a team to be discounted, with Humberto Suazo a deadly threat up front. Honduras are only making their second appearance at the world cup, after scraping into the third automatic qualification spot in the CONCACAF zone behind the USA and Mexico. Probably the weakest side in the group, but their fans will be buoyant as they look to impress on the greatest stage of World football.

Group H| Betting Stats (World Cup History form in brackets)
(Final outcomes of Golden Goal, Extra Time and Penalty Shoot Out results count as wins or losses)

Spain: Super strong and clear favourites to win in South Africa. They have beaten Switzerland twice before at the World Cup, drew once with Honduras in ‘82, and have beaten Chile in their only encounter. So one of the rare occasions where a team has encountered all of their group opposition before in World Cup history. Does not look to be anything to fear. (P49, W23, D9, L17)

Switzerland: The Helvetians will be hoping for better things against Spain than their previous two World Cup encounters, which both ended in defeats. They have also lost to Chile once, back in 1962. Have not encountered Honduras before. (P26, W8, D4, L14)

Chile: They finished in third place in 1962 if you were thinking the South Americans didn’t have any great World Cup history. Haven’t come close to repeating it though. Will fancy their chances as they have beaten Switzerland before, which could be the crunch match this time around. Never played Honduras at the World Cup, and have lost once to Spain. (P25, W7, D6, L12)

Honduras: Only their second appearance, and have only encountered Spain before out of their 2010 group rivals. Held Spain to a 1-1 after going ahead in the match in 1982. Looking to win their first World Cup match. (P3, W0, D2, L1)

World Cup Group H - Table

Group Stage Fixture List

World Cup Betting at Stan James for Outright Winner of Group H, has Chile at 4/1, Switzerland at 9/1, Honduras at 22/1 and Spain are favourites at 1/3 (and 7/2 to Win the World Cup Outright).

World Cup appearances: 7
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals; 1934, 1938 & 1954
FIFA World Ranking: 20
Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Captain: Alexander Frei

Switzerland Team Profile

The Swiss aren’t a country you would automatically associate with strong World Cup’s but they have gone as far as the Quarter-Finals back in their heyday, although their heyday was a good half-a-century ago. They qualified for the finals on seven previous occasions, with South Africa being their eighth, but their previous best display came way back in 1954 when they reached the Quarter-Finals… again. However, they have since rarely made the finals itself, qualifying just four times since the 60′s, failing to make the cut on eight occasions.

Switzerland did, however, get as far as the last sixteen in Germany, 2006 before losing on a penalty shoot-out, with the Swizz not managing one goal in the shoot-out, losing 3-0 to Ukraine in what was one of the poorest penalty shoot-outs I think I’ve ever seen. They flopped completely at the Euro’s in 2008, exiting after just two group games despite being the hosts. They did, however, gain a consolation victory in the form of a shock 2-0 win over Portugal, of whom had already qualified for the latter stage of the tournament.

The Swiss aren’t the powerhouse of old and are often seen as a team most nations would prefer in their group. They also wear a red and white styled kit for both their home and away games, with their home kit a red top and white shorts while their away kit is vice verse.

Switzerland Key Players

Alexander Frei

Despite entering his 30′s last year, Frei is still Switzerland best player by a country mile and has remained their most prolific goalscorer for quite some time now, scoring 40 goals in his 70 caps for Switzerland. He averages over a goal every-other-game for his country and his stunning goal return ratio has earned him the captain’s armband, although his wealth of experience would have had a hand in that decision. Frei is currently settled in Switzerland after joining Basel last season from Borussia Dortmund in Germany and has found scoring a breeze back in his native country. He is a calm and composed sort who doesn’t often miss one-on-one’s nor does he miss too many sitters.

Strengths / Weakness

Not the best at attacking, weak looking midfield and a defence which doesn’t fill me with any great deal of confidence. Moreover, the Swiss are one of thee dullest sides to watch due to their slow tempo style of playing and their inability to retain possession, especially against the elite footballing nations. They don’t have any players which could entertain the neutrals, with Hakan Yakin being the only player we would keep an eye on. Very little in terms of positives, none in fact, but plenty of negatives, despite a decent defensive record in qualifying.

Switzerland Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: European
Group: 2
Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-3-1
Goals Scored: 18
Goals Conceded: 8

Switzerland came through an unattractive looking Group 2, fending off Greece, Latvia & Isreal, with neither of the mentioned nations anything special, which just goes to show how easy the Swiss had it during qualification. They did, though, lose just once in ten qualifiers, although that was a shock home defeat to Luxermbourg.

World Cup Potential: 1/5

Switzerland are one of a rare few nations we can’t stand to watch as they’re so dull. Their attacks have a knack of pittering out into nothing, while they don’t have any noteworthy players in their squad. Their defence looks mighty exposed against some of the more prolific attacking country’s and will almost certainly be found wanting in South Africa. The Swiss are a team we would steer well clear of in the betting market. We would even go as far as saying we would avoid watching them on the TV if you’re in the slightest bit vulnerable to a a sudden nap after a hard days work. 

Switzerland World Cup Betting Odds

Switzerland to win the World Cup: 100/1 BetFred

Before the World Cup the odds on Switzerland were 200/1 

Official Switzerland World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Diego Benaglio (VfL Wolfsburg)

Marco Wölfli (Young Boys Bern)

Johnny Leoni (FC Zurich)

Defenders

Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio Roma)

Philippe Senderos (Everton)

Stephane Grichting (AJ Auxerre)

Steve von Bergen (Hertha BSC Berlin)

Mario Eggimann (Hannover 96)

Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria Genoa)

Ludovic Magnin (FC Zurich)

Midfielders

Valon Behrami (West Ham United)

Gökhan Inler (Udinese Calcio)

Benjamin Huggel (FC Basle)

Pirmin Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Gelson Fernandes (AS St. Etienne)

Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen)

Xherdan Shaqiri (FC Basle)

Marco Padalino (Sampdoria Genoa)

Hakan Yakin (FC Lucerne)

Strikers

Alexander Frei (FC Basle)

Blaise Nkufo (Twente Enschede)

Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen)

Albert Bunjaku (1. FC Nuremberg)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Switzerland Fixtures – Group H

World Cup Group H - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Switzerland