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Switzerland primed for Portugal finale
UEFA EURO 2008 co-hosts Switzerland complete their Group A programme against Portugal in Basel in what will be the countries' first meeting at a major tournament.
• For Switzerland, much-fancied Portugal could provide their toughest test of the first round, given the impressive recent finals performances of Luiz Felipe Scolari's charges, who finished runners-up at UEFA EURO 2004 and reached the last four at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
• In addition to their impressive pedigree this past decade, Portugal can also take confidence from an unbeaten record in their last six matches against the Swiss.
• The sides crossed swords most recently in qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Although Switzerland eventually progressed to the finals in the United States, Portugal got the better of their contests by earning a 1-1 draw in Berne in March 1993 and then defeating them 1-0 in Porto seven months later through a ninth-minute goal from João Pinto.
• Switzerland's last victory against Portugal came in a friendly in Lugano in March 1982, when goals from Gianpietro Zappa (42 minutes) and André Egli (62) earned them a 2-1 win.
• The first ever meeting between the teams was a play-off in Milan for a place in the first round of the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Switzerland won 2-1, thereby forcing Portugal to wait another 28 years for their debut appearance on the world stage.
• Overall Switzerland have won six, drawn five and lost eight of their 19 matches against Portugal. However, their home record against the Portuguese provides more favourable reading, with five wins, three draws and only two losses.
• Switzerland goalkeeper Diego Benaglio spent two and a half seasons with Portuguese Liga team CD Nacional, before joining Germany's VfL Wolfsburg during the January winter break.
• Switzerland midfielder Gelson Fernandes and Portugal pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani are on opposite sides of Manchester's blue-red divide with their respective clubs Manchester City FC and Manchester United FC.
• Portugal defender Fernando Meira is a team-mate of Switzerland's Ludovic Magnin at VfB Stuttgart and also played alongside forward Marco Streller at the Bundesliga club.
• Switzerland's Xavier Margairaz played in the same midfield as Hugo Viana at Spanish club side CA Osasuna in the 2007/08 season.
• Switzerland defender Patrick Müller and Portugal midfielder Tiago were team-mates at Olympique Lyonnais from 2006 to 2007.
• As a player with FC Zürich, Switzerland coach Jakob Kuhn was on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat at Sporting Clube de Portugal in a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final first-leg tie in 1973/74. Kuhn missed the return as Zürich went down 4-1 on aggregate.
• Switzerland's Johan Vonlanthen holds the record for being the tournament's youngest goalscorer. He was 18 years and 140 days old when he found the net in the 3-1 defeat by France on 21 June 2004.
• Switzerland were led at EURO '96™ by Portuguese coach Artur Jorge, who later had a spell in charge of the Portugal national team.
• This is Switzerland's third UEFA European Championship finals appearance, following two previous first-round exits in 1996 and 2004.
• Portugal's best performance in four previous appearances came at UEFA EURO 2004, where they finished runners-up.
• Three teams have won the UEFA European Championship as hosts. Spain and Italy triumphed in 1964 and 1968 respectively, when staging the semi-finals and final. France in 1984 became the only winners since a proper final tournament was established in 1980.
• This is the 13th edition of the UEFA European Championship and the eighth edition that features a final tournament with a group phase.
