We're the true underdogs, say Swiss squad
Sixth-ranked team insist united French will be tough to beat when Alpine neighbours face-off
Switzerland are trying to pile the pressure on France by claiming the underdog tag for the Alpine neighbours' group E clash in Salvador.
Both teams won their openers, with France topping the table after a convincing 3-0 win over Honduras, while the Swiss secured a last-gasp victory over Ecuador.
Super-sub Haris Seferovic netted in the last minute of injury time to claim a 2-1 comeback victory after the Swiss had fallen behind to Enner Valencia's first-half header.
France have always had technical quality, they have simply returned to their normal level, which they never should have left
Sixth-placed Switzerland are 11 places higher than the French, according to Fifa's rankings, but insist those standings mean nothing.
"Favourites? You like that word in France, eh?," Swiss central defender Steve von Bergen said. "It is France who are the favourites."
Swiss assistant coach Michel Pont, who celebrated his 60th birthday yesterday, said 1998 World Cup winners France had the upper hand.
Pont said France coach Didier Deschamps had united his squad after the debacle of their South Africa 2010 campaign, when the team went on strike in support of Nicolas Anelka after a row with then-coach Raymond Domenech.
