England Versus Switzerland Preview

After coming off an impressive 4-0 win against Bulgaria, the England squad gained much needed confidence for their Euro 2012 campaign. This will be the first qualifying match for the Swiss.

Fabio Capello will most likely have England in the 4-4-2 formation. Although many consider this to not be the best formation that England should play, it was effective against a weak Bulgarian defense. Moving Gerrard from left midfield to his preferred center midfield position was the first step in repairing many tactical errors that plagued the England squad over the summer. Despite missing many key players with injuries, the English side seemed very comfortable and aggressive with their attack.

Switzerland will provide more of an accurate test to see how improved this England squad is since this summer's disappointing World Cup. Known for a strong defense, the Swiss rarely concede goals. Matches often only have one goal scored. Midfielder Tranquillo Barnetto is expected to miss Tuesday's match due to the flu. According toUEFA, defenders Senderos and Eggimann will also not be in action due to injuries. Wolfsburg goalie, Diego Benaglio and his wife are expecting their first child and may miss the match as well.

Despite injuries for both squads, unfortunately the main story of the match does not involve tactics but rather a tabloid story that broke over the weekend. England and Manchester United's star striker, Wayne Rooney, has once again become the center of a sex scandal. Despite recent tabloid developments, Rooney has made the trip for the Switzerland match. Although the scandal may prove damaging to Rooney' s mental comeback, the scandal is only damaging to Rooney, rather than affecting more of the English squad as the John Terry scandal did just prior to the World Cup.

Watch for the Stephen Gerrard and Alex Frei match-up in the midfield. The Swiss Captain, Frei, was banned three matches by UEFA in 2004 after spitting on Gerrard.

Swiss coach Hitzfeld will look to close up any space in the English attack. How Capello and England will respond will be interesting. Capello's traditional 4-4-2 formation may not be productive against a packed Swiss defense. This match could be a 0-0 draw or a 1-0 victory for England.

Source: UEFA