Switzerland step up the pressure

Switzerland midfield player Raphael Wicky believes his team must put Croatia 'under constant pressure' if they are to win their Group B opener in Leiria on Sunday.

The weakest team
With games against England and France to follow, Wicky knows how important it is for Switzerland to take at least a point from their match with Croatia. "There would still be hope if we didn't win," the SV Hamburg player said. "However, it would make our task much harder because the other teams in the group are stronger than Croatia."

'Technically outstanding'
The 27-year-old, who represented Switzerland at EURO '96™, believes the key to beating the Croatians is denying them space. "If we allow them to play then we will be in trouble because they are technically outstanding," he said. "In order to stop them getting into their stride we need to put them under constant pressure."

Relaxed atmosphere
Speaking after Friday's training session at the plush Praia del Rey resort, Wicky was in relaxed mood. "Everything has been going very smoothly for us out here and we only have a few small details to work on now," he said.

No secrets
The Swiss squad once again trained behind closed doors but Wicky played down the significance of this policy, saying: "Most teams do it but I don't think we have any big secrets to surprise Croatia with. It's very difficult to keep secrets from the opposition these days."