National team hosts Hitzfeld's side at Ramat Gan on Saturday night in World Cup qualifier.
By JEREMY LASTisrael soccer team excellent pic 224.88(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Israel seems to be flying high, having moved up a place to 19th in the latest FIFA rankings which were released this week.
However, Dror Kashtan's team will be taking nothing for granted when it faces 43rd-ranked Switzerland in its first game of the World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign in Ramat Gan on Saturday night.
"The FIFA ranking shows we have made some progress but it doesn't give us any guarantee," coach Kashtan said at a press conference at the National Stadium on Thursday.
To guarantee qualification for South Africa 2010 Israel will need to finish first in Group 2 where it plays Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg and Moldova as well as Switzerland home and away over the next 14 months. Finishing in second place puts Israel into a playoff.
The Switzerland game will be followed by an away game in Moldova on Wednesday.
Discussing the match on Saturday, Kashtan was wary of the Swiss. "We are facing one of the main opponents standing between us and the 2010 World Cup finals, and of course we want to win. We know that in soccer you need to be careful. But we are in enough focus," he said.
The national team has been together preparing for Saturday's game since the start of the week in an effort to get over the disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Finland in a friendly game last month.
The first team is all but decided on with Salim Toama expected to return to the center of midfield alongside Tamir Cohen while Elayniv Barda will play up front with captain Yossi Benayoun behind him.
This is the second time in a row Israel has been paired with the Swiss in a World Cup qualifying group, but this isn't the same team which held Israel to two draws four years ago.
Otmar Hitzfeld side disappointed when it played as one of the two hosts at this summer's European Championships, losing its first two games against the Czech Republic and Turkey, before defeating a Portugal team which had already qualified for the quarterfinals.
AC Milan defender Philippe Senderos, who moved to Italy from English side Arsenal last month, was left out of the squad due to lack of match fitness.
And Broussia Dortmund striker Alexander Frei will also not play against Israel, although he is expected to rejoin the squad in time for its game against Luxembourg on September 10.
The main threat will come from veteran forward Hakin Yakin while FC Salzburg's Johan Vonlanthen will be another player to watch out for.
Hitzfeld refused to speak to the media when his team arrived at Ben-Gurion airport, but Arsenal defender Johan Djourou was willing to share his thoughts.
"It is a big game for us. It is the start of the campaign so we want to win. It is a good group. Israel is a good team," he said.
"We know Benayoun - who plays for Liverpool - so we are expecting a hard game."
Benayoun joined Kashtan at the press conference, and didn't mince his words. "Of course we are confident. We have a lot of good players who are young and talented," he said in English.
"It is going to be a difficult game. The Swiss are a very strong and experienced side but hopefully with our players we can do it on Saturday."
The biggest question in the Israeli camp is which goalkeeper will start the game.
Dudu Awat has been the number one 'keeper in recent years, but he is out of favor at Spanish club Deportivo la Coruna and has yet to find a new team.
Therefore there is a feeling that this is the time for Maccabi Haifa's Nir Davidovitch to return to the fore.
Kashtan remained predictably tight lipped when questioned on the issue. "I think about a lot of things before the match. One of them is who will start as a goalkeeper. They [Davidovitch and Awat] are both serious and ready for the match."
There is a perceived animosity between the two shot stoppers who hardly appeared friendly in training sessions this week, but both have denied any tension exists.
Kashtan said the strongest point in his squad is "the spirit" among the players who are loyal to the country.
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