Margairaz looking for upset

Swiss midfielder believes midfield battle is key

By Francisco Acedo   Last updated: 7th September 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Margairaz looking for upset

Margairaz: Confident

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Switzerland midfielder Xavier Margairaz is confident his side can upset the odds to beat England.

The two sides meet in their Euro 2012 qualifier in Basel on Tuesday, with England already top of the group following their 4-0 win over Bulgaria on Friday.

The Swiss, however, are likely to pose a sterner test of England's confidence and resolve following their collapse at the hands of Germany in the last 16 of the World Cup.

Ottmar Hitzfeld's side produced the shock of the tournament in their opening group game when they beat eventual champions Spain 1-0, but they still failed to make it to the next phase.

However, the FC Zurich player feels that if his team keep organised, they could steal a vital win in St. Jakob Park.

Dream

"The battle against England will be in the midfield. If we impose our style, I am convinced that England will not be comfortable and this increases our chances to win," said Margairaz.

"Switzerland dream of victory because this group is very equal and to fail at home generates problems in the table. I do not accept one point.

"We do not live in fear after the English triumph against Bulgaria. We are different squads and in Basel the situation will not be easy for our rival.

"The race for first position is between England and us. The two matches will decide this aspect.

"(Frank) Lampard is not in, but it's key to stop people like (Steven) Gerrard, (Theo) Walcott and (James) Milner. There is the danger for us because they work very well with the forwards.

"England are improving match by match and they possess new footballers with enormous quality. For this reason their injuries are not so decisive like in other squads because they have sensational substitutes."

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