Switzerland TEAMS

Switzerland enters its eighth World Cup set to face a group teeming with Latin American talent. If Alexander Frei and Co. are to reach the knockout stage, they'll have to adapt quickly.

World-Swiss in the same boat as Chile and Honduras

BERNE, May 21 (Reuters) - Switzerland is one of the world's most prosperous and stable nations but on the football field its team share many of the same problems as World Cup opponents Chile and Honduras.

Like the two Latin American countries, Switzerland is good at producing talented players but has a weak domestic league which forces many of them to go abroad to further their careers.

This leads to frustration for the national team coach when players get injured or fall out of favour and end up in the reserves at their clubs, often returning home in a bid to rescue their careers.

Internationals who have struggled to fulfil early potential include defender Reto Ziegler, who joined England's Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager but has had to wait until this season with Italy's Sampdoria to get out on the pitch regularly.

When defender Philippe Senderos fell out of favour at Premier League Arsenal, he joined Everton hoping to get some first-team football but instead suffered a niggling hip injury.

For all the problems, Switzerland, with a population of just over seven million where football has to compete with ice hockey and Alpine skiing for attention, has a team who have recently punched above their weight on the international stage.

They have been present at the last three major tournaments -- Euro 2004 and 2008 and the 2006 World Cup -- although they progressed beyond the second round only at the latter.

Drawn with Spain, Chile and Honduras in Group H after qualifying for their eighth World Cup, much will depend on how the Swiss adapt to facing Latin American opposition.

A 3-1 friendly defeat at home to Uruguay in March, when they were hopelessly outclassed, did not auger well.

Switzerland will be led by wily old campaigner Ottmar Hitzfeld who won the Bundesliga twice and Champions League twice during spells with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

Hitzfeld said he had not lost his hunger for victories, although equalling Switzerland's best performance of a quarter-final place is probably the best he can hope for.

Perhaps his biggest headache will be whether to persist with the ageing strike force of Alexander Frei and Blaise Nkufo, both into their 30s, or throw Eren Derdiyok into the fray after his impressive performances for Bayer Leverkusen this season.

(Editing by Clare Fallon)

World-Factbox on Switzerland

May 21 (Reuters) - Factbox on Switzerland who are in Group H at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa:

Colours: Red shirts, white shorts and red socks.

Nickname: Nati (short for National team).

Previous World Cup appearances: 8. 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1994, 2006

Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finalists in 1934, 1938, 1954

Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld

Most capped player: Heinz Hermann 117 caps

Top goalscorer: Alexander Frei 40 goals

Talking points:

Switzerland qualified from arguably the weakest European group and lost 2-1 at home to Luxembourg along the way. Philippe Senderos has been a key central defender recently but a lack of match practice at club level is a concern. Leading scorer Alexander Frei broke his arm in February and will also lack match practice. Both he and striking partner Blaise Nkufo are over 30. Hakan Yakin is the only player with real flair but Hitzfeld has used him only as a substitute.

Players to watch:

Diego Benaglio helped VfL Wolfsburg to win the Bundesliga title last season, Yakin can liven up a generally lacklustre midfield and Frei is still a dangerman. Tranquillo Barnetta has his moments in midfield.

Switzerland Squad - Spycher Out, Magnin In

Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld will have to make do without the services of experienced defender Christoph Spycher at the 2010 World Cup finals this summer due to a knee injury, according to a report in Blick.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt defender picked up the injury on 10 April and has since been struggling to return to full match fitness. Spycher has now made it clear that he won't make it in time and has withdrawn from the Switzerland squad.

Hitzfeld has decided to add former Stuttgart full-back Ludovic Magnin to his squad as replacement for Spycher. The 31-year-old Magnin initially missed out on a spot in the World Cup squad due to his poor form in the past couple of months.

The Schweizer Nati lock horns with Spain, Chile and Honduras in the group phase of the tournament. Switzerland start the tournament with a match against Spain on June 16.
Goalkeepers    -
Diego Benaglio    Wolfsburg
Marco Wolfli    Young Boys
Johnny Leoni    Zurich
Defenders    -
Stephan Lichtsteiner    Lazio
Philippe Senderos    Everton
Stephane Grichting    Auxerre
Steve von Bergen     Hertha Berlin
Mario Eggimann    Hannover 96
Reto Ziegler    Sampdoria
Ludovic Magnin    Zurich
Midfielders    -
Valon Behrami    West Ham United
Gokhan Inler    Udinese
Benjamin Huggel    Basel
Pirmin Schwegler     Eintracht Frankfurt
Gelson Fernandes    Saint-Etienne
Tranquillo Barnetta    Bayer Leverkusen
Xherdan Shaqiri    Basel
Marco Padalino    Sampdoria
Forwards    -
Alexander Frei    Basel
Blaise Nkufo    Twente
Eren Derdiyok    Bayer Leverkusen
Marco Streller    Basel
Hakan Yakin    Luzern