• England v Switzerland preview

Bent to lead England attack against stubborn Swiss

ESPNsoccernet staff
June 4, 2011
Darren Bent was on the mark against Wales earlier this year © Getty Images
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England will be looking to maintain their place at the top of Group G in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, as they take on Switzerland at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Fabio Capello's men beat the Swiss 3-1 on the road back in September and, after a long, hard domestic season, must now motivate themselves to put in a shift for their country in a bid to stave off the charge of group rivals Montenegro.

With ten points from their four games thus far, it has been a successful start to qualification, but Capello has injury worries ahead of the game that could be cause for concern. Wayne Rooney is suspended after picking up too many yellow cards, while fellow Manchester United team-mate Michael Carrick, and Tottenham's Jermain Defoe have pulled out. That leaves Darren Bent, Peter Crouch and Bobby Zamora as the only recognisable strikers in the side, although if Capello continues with his 4-1-2-3 formation, then only one will be needed anyway.

Jack Wilshere is likely to get another chance in central midfield alongside Frank Lampard, while Capello's major selection headache comes on the wing, with Ashley Young, expected to start alongside one of Stewart Downing, Theo Walcott, James Milner or Adam Johnson.

The Swiss have made defensive stability something of an art form in recent campaigns, but have to deal with problems at the other end of the pitch. The retirements of strikers Marco Streller and Alexander Frei leave a big gap in the attacking roles and youngsters Innocent Emeghara, Granit Xhaka, and Admir Mehmedi have been called up, with coach Ottmar Hitzfeld claiming: "We are lacking strikers aged around 25 or 26 so I had to call up really young ones to fill the gap".

The 22-year-old Eren Derdiyok is still young and learning the game, but he has scored just half the number of goals he managed last season for Bayer Leverkusen - six. Indeed, if the Swiss have any hopes of clawing back the six-point gap on the group leaders, they will have to come out of their defensive shell.

England player to watch: Darren Bent. The Aston Villa striker has been one of the most consistent goalscorers in the country over recent seasons, but has found his chances at international level limited. Now, with a striking crisis on the cards, he steps into the void to lead the line. Fast, powerful and with a deadly eye for goal, Bent is a worrying proposition for any defender and will be keeping the Swiss on their toes with his movement behind the line.

Switzerland player to watch: Xherdan Shaqiri. The scorer of a wonderful goal the last time the two teams met, the 19-year-old Shaq has caught the eye of many admirers with his performances for FC Basel, as his NBA namesake retires. A small player, Shaqiri's ball control is excellent and he has the ability to pick out his team-mates from the flanks with his crosses. Either in the centre, or further wide on the left, he will be a key component of the Swiss attacks.

Key battle: Scott Parker v Gokhan Inler. The defensive midfield battle should be a good one as these are two players on top of their game, who love a confrontation. Parker's form for West Ham earned him the Football Writers' Player of the Year award this season and his tough tackling and passing skills will aid England at both ends of the pitch. Inler has taken over the Swiss captaincy and will look to lead by example. His uncompromising attitude in the centre of the park will be the lynchpin from which the Swiss will build and, with Juventus, Liverpool and Arsenal all interested in the Udinese man, he will be keen to put on a show.

Trivia: At the World Cup, the goal by Chile's Mark Gonzalez in the 75th minute ended Switzerland's 559 minute streak without conceding a goal in World Cup matches, beating the record previously held by Italy by nine minutes. Also England haven't been beaten by Switzerland since way back in 1947.

Stats: Having scored nine goals in 16 games for his club, Bent's goals in February's friendly against Denmark and the March qualifier against Wales made it three goals in his last three internationals.

Odds: England (1.36), Switzerland (9.00) and the draw (4.50) are on offer with bet365, but Darren Bent to score two or more comes in at 6.00.

Prediction: Despite their striking woes, England should have enough to see off the Swiss at home, although a draw could certainly be on the cards.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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