In a game vitally important to both sides’ 2006 FIFA World Cup aspirations, Switzerland meet Togo on 19 June. Jakob ‘Kobi’ Kuhn’s men are undoubtedly the pre-match favourites and will be determined to build on their hard-fought 0-0 draw against European neighbours France by taking all three points against the Sparrowhawks.

However, the West African side, led by experienced the German Otto Pfister, are certainly no pushovers. On their FIFA World Cup debut, the Togolese can consider themselves unlucky to have fallen to a narrow 2-1 opening defeat against Korea Republic. The presence of Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who bristled with menace and guile against Koreans, means Togo pose a constant threat and will rightly consider themselves to have a realistic chance of pulling off a shock result.

With an average age of 25.8 and 25.9 respectively, Switzerland and Togo are the second and third-youngest teams at the finals. The Dortmund crowd could therefore be forgiven for nurturing hopes of an entertaining encounter, full of youthful exuberance and fearless attacking play.

Emmanuel Adebayor versus Philippe Senderos: The Togolese goal-getter and Swiss centre-half both play their club football for Arsenal, adding extra spice to their head-to-head duel in Dortmund. If Togo are to pull off a shock result, the smart money would be on a moment of sublime skill from a player acnkowledged within the camp to be their solitary world-class star.

Standing in his way will be the rock-solid and ever-improving Senderos, whose inside knowledge of the Togolese striker’s game could prove decisive. Despite their considerable international experience, both players still fall into the young hopeful category: Adebayor is just 22 and Senderos a year younger.

The U.S. soccer team must win against Ghana if it hopes to advance to the round of 16 in Germany. Get behind the Yanks or one of the other contenders for the biggest tournament in sports. Bet on the World Cup in the Bodog Sportsbook!

World Cup Picks: This game to end in a 1-1 DRAW.

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 19th, 2006 at 3:32 am and is filed under 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2010 World Cup Betting Tips and Picks, Soccer News, Switzerland, Togo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.