Switzerland pin hopes on injured stars

Injured stars
Olympique Lyonnais defender Müller, 31, tore cruciate ligaments in December but recently returned to action for his club, playing 65 minutes of a reserve-team game at the weekend. As for BV Borussia Dortmund right-back Degen, he may yet feature at the finals despite suffering from a torn muscle, while his brother has been placed on a standby list along with Bolton Wanderers FC defensive midfielder Blerim Dzemaili and UC Sampdoria left-sided midfielder Reto Ziegler.

Dzemaili absent
Dzemaili is a notable absentee from the first-choice selection, having failed to work his way into first-team reckoning at the Reebok Stadium despite recovering from a cruciate ligament injury sustained just before his move from FC Zürich last summer. The squad will now undergo a training camp in Lugano from 19 to 29 May, while coach Jakob Kuhn has until 28 May to announce his final 23-player squad for the tournament, which Switzerland are co-hosting with Austria.

Switzerland squad
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (VfL Wolfsburg), Pascal Zuberbühler (Neuchâtel Xamax FC), Fabio Coltorti (Real Racing Club Santander).

Defenders: Philipp Degen (BV Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Arsenal FC), Mario Eggimann (Karlsruher SC), Stéphane Grichting (AJ Auxerre), Stephan Lichtsteiner (LOSC Lille Métropole), Ludovic Magnin (VfB Stuttgart), Patrick Müller (Olympique Lyonnais), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal FC), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Steve von Bergen (Hertha BSC Berlin).

Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Valon Behrami (S.S. Lazio), Ricardo Cabanas (Grasshopper-Club), Gelson Fernandes (Manchester City FC), Daniel Gygax (FC Metz), Benjamin Huggel (FC Basel 1893), Gökhan Inler (Udinese Calcio), Johan Vonlanthen (FC Salzburg), Hakan Yakin (BSC Young Boys).

Forwards: Eren Derdiyok (FC Basel 1893), Alexander Frei (BV Borussia Dortmund), Blaise Nkufo (FC Twente), Marco Streller (FC Basel 1893).