Switzerland v France: With Alexander Frei having been cleared of spitting at England midfielder Steven Gerrard by a UEFA disciplinary panel yesterday the Swiss will be close to full strength as they set out to cause what would be a huge upset by beating France this evening.
If Kobi Kuhn's men could pull off a victory they would progress to the quarter-finals while the French would go out unless the group's other game is a draw in which case the top two spots would be decided between these two and England. The three would be separated in the first instance on the basis of goal difference in the games between them, then on the number of goals scored in those games followed by a whole list of other criteria until a ranking order can be established, with the drawing lots being used as a last resort.
The Swiss might well have been without the Rennes striker for the World Cup qualifier against Ireland in the autumn had he been found guilty and, like Italy's Francesco Totti, been given a three-match ban. The fact a hearing was required at all angered the player with Frei taking a verbal swipe at Gerrard during his team's press conference yesterday morning, several hours before UEFA's decision had been announced.
"I haven't seen Gerrard since the game," said the 24 year-old, "but at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning I believe he said nothing had happened. Three hours later he changed his story. I don't know why he did that."
The striker looks set to partner Stephane Chapuisat in attack again. There will be changes elsewhere, though, with the team's defensive midfielder Johann Vogel returning from suspension and Liverpool's Stephane Henchoz likely to start at right back where Bernt Haas is serving a ban.
The latest attempt by players to start exerting an influence on the way their team is run, meanwhile, has been staged by the French. Coach Jacques Santini has sent tanks into the streets to put an early end to any thoughts of an uprising.
The coach and various members of his squad admitted yesterday they had held a long meeting in the wake of the 2-2 draw with Croatia at which Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira had complained about the slow pace at which the team was playing, Robert Pires had said the tactical approach was limiting the impact of Henry, and Bixente Lizarazu just had a good old-fashioned whinge about being dropped. Santini said: "I have always listened to what they have had to say but afterwards my job, and the job of the rest of the technical staff, is to make the decisions and that doesn't change now."
Lizarazu may have talked his way out of the side despite Mickael Silvestre's shakey performances in which case Marcel Desailly will probably partner Lillian Thuram again in the heart of the defence. Barring a recurrence of his shoulder problem Claude Makelele, is expected to return to midfield.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
SWITZERLAND: Stiel; Henchoz, Muller, M Yakin, Spycher; Huggel, Vogel, H Yakin, Wicky; Chapuisat, Frei.
FRANCE: Barthez; Gallas, Thuram, Desailly, Silvestre; Pires, Makelele, Vieira, Zidane; Trezuguet, Henry.
Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia)
