Senderos ready to ride Swiss wave

Arsenal FC defender Philippe Senderos expects the whole of Switzerland to unite behind the co-hosts when UEFA EURO 2008™ kicks off in Basel on Saturday, and the 23-year-old central defender said his countrymen cannot wait for the tournament to commence.

Nation united
"We are playing at home," he said. "The whole country will unite behind us and the pressure that is coming down on us is nothing negative - it will help us." Jakob Kuhn, the Swiss coach, will once more rely upon a cast of promising youngsters as he bids to lead his side to the knock-out phase, as he did in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This time, though, the promising crop of players at Kuhn's disposal will have the weight of a nation's expectations on their shoulders from the start. However, Senderos is convinced the youthfulness of the Switzerland squad will work in their favour. "We are not as tired as the older players after a long season," he said. "Lots of us play abroad and have experience of playing at the highest level with some really big clubs and that's certainly an advantage."

Physical battle
Given his rugged appearance - the paratrooper-style hair cut and a small scar above his left eye - Senderos looks more like a boxer than a modern footballer. The uncompromising stopper is already eagerly anticipating a "tough, physical game" against the Czech Republic in Saturday's tournament opener. Jan Koller, the imposing 1. FC Nürnberg striker, will likely be Senderos' first sparring partner and the Arsenal man expects sparks to fly. Asked whether he is intimidated by prospect of squaring up against the veteran Koller, Senderos smiled: "Scared of Jan Koller? Well, he is very big and it's difficult to play against him, but lots of forwards are physically very strong. It's my job to deal with that." Senderos is also aware Karel Brückner's side have more to offer than sheer brawn, though, noting his nation's next opponents are "also very strong when it comes to the technical aspects of the game".

Race against time
The main talking point in the Swiss camp is just who will partner Senderos at the heart of the co-hosts' defence. Should he win his race to be fit, hugely experienced Olympique Lyonnais centre back Patrick Müller will fill the void. However, if he the 31-year-old is ruled out, fellow Ligue 1 player Stéphane Grichting is waiting in reserve. Senderos is diplomatic about his preferred choice. "Both have their qualities, both are good players," he told euro2008.com. "There's no difference, whoever plays."