Yakin's swipe at England

"The England team have many stars and few workers and this way, they'll never arrive at their highest level because they always treat themselves as favourites and never fulfil that tag," he said.

"They'll be very down after what happened against France - I watched it and it was just incredible- - and the English defence does not convince me at all. We can do some damage to them."

But then Hakin has always thought he could do damage to any team. He is a temperamental character, seen as rather less dependable than his elder brother, key defender Murat Yakin, but someone with the sort of mercurial ability that Switzerland simply cannot find in anyone else.

He has not looked his old buzzsaw self since returning from almost a year out with a double hernia and damaged ankle ligaments and even if he can feed his two strikers, Alexander Frei and Stephane Chapuisat, England might not have to overly worry since the pair can't seem to score for love nor money at the moment.

Everyone here has been talking about the possibility of Wayne Rooney becoming the youngest player ever to score in the European Championships, yet Yakin might find himself at some point this evening being asked to help 18-year-old Johann Vonlanthen beat him to that record.

The youngest player in the tournament has the pace and the potential to pose a few problems but, realistically, the PSV Eindhoven prospect will be seen as too green to start. On the other hand, Liverpool's Stephane Henchoz doesn't think it is too much of a risk throwing in a lad who could do a Michael Owen for them.

Anyway, as Henchoz and his relaxed mates have been telling everyone this week, there is no pressure on them. They just come across as a team who are having fun, even laughing off the prematch nonsense when a bloke dressed as a shepherd and carrying a cuckoo clock was sent by one of our tabloids to their hotel.

"It doesn't offend us. The Swiss can laugh too," said Kuhn. "We feel that we can disturb the sleep of the greats."

Swiss sleep is full of sweet dreams. According to Bernt Haas, the West Brom defender, even Swiss tennis star Roger Federer is predicting a 1-0 win for his boys. To be honest, that still sounds as unlikely a prospect as Tim Henman taking his title off the Wimbledon champ in a fortnight.