Switzerland's Young Guns

Ahead of their friendly with Germany in Dortmund on Wednesday, the Swiss had lots of reasons for optimism. The squad can draw on players from some of the biggest and best clubs in Europe -- Olympique Lyon and Arsenal to name just two.

2008 may be Switzerland's best shot ever at a major title. As co-hosts of the European Championships, together with Austria, they will have the considerable advantage of playing in front of home crowds.

And because host countries automatically qualify for the tournament, Switzerland can spend 2007 fine-tuning their squad without having to worry about getting results.

That's got their coach, Jakob "Köbi" Kuhn, setting his sights high. "We're playing to win in 2008," Kuhn says -- a statement that not too long ago would have sounded ridiculous for a nation whose sporting triumphs usually come on slopes of snow, not fields of grass.

Youthful Success

Striker Tranquillo Barnetta and Philippe Senderos know what it's like to take home a trophy. Both were members of the Swiss junior team that won the European Under-17 Championships in 2002.

Kuhn is hoping that his golden generation, now its twenties, has matured enough to compete against Europe's bigger sides at the adult level. "Germany is a strong opponent," Kuhn told the German soccer magazine kicker ahead of the two countries' friendly. "We'll know more about where we stand after the match."

At the 2006 World Cup, Switzerland showed it can hold its own, progressing to the knock-out round of the tournament without conceding a goal.

Their main Achilles' heel was from the spot. The Swiss exited the World Cup in a penalty shoot-out against Ukraine -- after failing to convert a single chance. Coincidentally that match also took place in Dortmund.

Germany lose Klose for clash

Miroslav Klose will miss the friendly against Switzerland as he has failed to recover from a thumb injury, the German Football Federation (DFB) confirmed Wednesday.

The absence of the Werder Bremen striker, who picked up the injury in Sunday's defeat to Schalke 04, and the suspended Lukas Podolski means that coach Joachim Löw is likely to start with Schalke's Kevin Kuranyi and VfL Wolfsburg striker Mike Hanke up front.

Klose fell on his thumb during training Tuesday evening which resulted in swelling. The DFB medical team decided not to risk the player and he returned to Bremen for treatment.