Behrami straining at Swiss leash

Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami says he and his team-mates can hardly wait for UEFA EURO 2008™ to start as the excitement builds towards Saturday's tournament curtain-raiser against the Czech Republic.

'Under pressure'
Behrami is expected to feature in coach Jakob Kuhn's XI in Basel and the S.S. Lazio player is looking forward to the occasion immensely. "Of course we are all under pressure, but anticipation levels for the EURO are rising by the minute," he told euro2008.com. "We are finally going to get to play and can hardly wait for the tournament to begin." Attacking midfielder Johan Vonlanthen agrees. "The players are ready and the mood is good," said the FC Salzburg man. "We all know what it is about and the team want to win the first match at all costs."

'Tough task'
The co-hosts accept that victory is far from a foregone conclusion against a well-drilled Czech Republic side rich in talent and experience. "We have been watching the Czechs and they have very good individual players. It's going to be a tough task," said Vonlanthen. Behrami added: "They have players with great personality, like Jan Koller, who can decide a match on their own. We will have to use our team spirit to counter that."

Cause for optimism
With the vast majority of the 42,500 sell-out crowd at St. Jakob-Park likely to be backing the Swiss, the Nationalmannschaft do have cause for optimism. A year ago, Argentina were held to a friendly draw at the home of FC Basel 1893, while more recent history also bodes well for Kuhn's men. "We have scored five goals in the last two matches," said Vonlanthen. "Our strikers are in top form, our midfield is playing well, and the return of Patrick Müller gives our defence security and stability."

Heavy burden
The weight of a nation, though, is a heavy burden, and for all the positive energy the players know the truth will out only when they kick off their first competitive fixture since the 2006 FIFA World Cup. "The pressure is really high before such a game," admitted Behrami. "You never know how good you are and you can't even use the results of other teams as a guide." However, the 23-year-old believes the taste of European competition he has had in his three seasons in the Italian capital will stand him in good stead. "Playing in Serie A is different from playing in a big tournament," he said. "But the games I have played in the [UEFA] Champions League with Lazio will help me cope with the pressure and the high standard of play here at the EURO."