Switzerland coach Koebi Kuhn has warned his players to keep their cool if things get physical in today’s World Cup qualifier against Israel in Basel.
Speaking at his team's training camp in central Switzerland, Kuhn said his men were preparing for another hard game following their bruising 2-2 draw in Tel Aviv last October.
He said: "A lot will depend on how the referee conducts the game. Israel have shown how hard a side they can be, against us and in their draws against France and Ireland. I expect there will be a lot of interruptions but we'll be prepared for that and set out the team accordingly."
During the Tel Aviv match, the Swiss were particularly angered by an unpunished tackle by Israel's Omri Afek that put midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta out of action for six months.
Kuhn has told his players to avoid any retaliation on Saturday, however, citing the example of French striker David Trezeguet.
Trezeguet was sent off during his country's 1-1 draw in Israel in March when he head-butted Tal Ben Haim just minutes after receiving a heavy tackle from the defender.
"When you consider what happened to Trezeguet, a player who has seen it all, then you can understand how difficult it might be on Saturday for our players," Kuhn insisted. "But we can't let what happened to him happen to us."
Switzerland and Israel will both be looking to break a tense deadlock at the top of Europe's most tightly-contested qualifying group. The eight matches between the four top sides have all ended in draws, with just three points separating leaders Ireland from fourth-placed France.
"I have been saying for a long time now that we want to be the ones to end that sequence," Kuhn said. "And obviously I don't mean by losing.
"If we can win, we will be in a very good position for our remaining three games. A win would also reduce this four-team race to just three teams, because I don't think Israel can stay in contention if they fail to get a point from this match."
If either side can end the stalemate, they will be rewarded by going top of the group.
Israel then have two matches against the Faroe Islands, while Switzerland face trips to Cyprus and Ireland, either side of a potentially decisive home match against France.
Israel go into the match in the city where in 1897 Theodore Herzl, considered to be the founding father of modern Zionism, told a major gathering of Jews dreaming of a homeland: "If you will it, it is not a dream."
Coach Avraham Grant has tried to inspire his men with Herzl's idea that returning to the World Cup finals for a second time is not a dream either. Their only previous appearance was in Mexico, 1970.
Israel's away record in qualifying group 4 is far from impressive and although they have not lost, they have gained only a solitary away victory, over Cyprus.
However Grant was delighted to hear Kuhn describe his side as "physical."
Grant said: "I take that as a huge compliment to my team. We have been criticised in the past for not being hard enough, so this is great for us."
A nagging stomach muscle injury to central defender Ben Haim leaves Grant with a dilemma whether to risk the Bolton player in his opening lineup.
A similar uncertainty exists over the goalkeeping spot with both Nir Davidovich of Maccabi Haifa and Dudu Awate of Racing Santander, who are both considered of equal ability and experience, carrying slight knocks.
Central defenders Arik Benado and Alon Harazi go into the clash hoping to break the record for national team appearances, both have 85 caps, a mark they currently hold jointly with retired defender Amir Shelah.
Probable teams:
Switzerland: Pascal Zuberbühler; Ludovic Magnin, Patrick Mueller, Philippe Senderos, Philipp Degen; Tranquillo Barnetta, Johann Vogel, Hakan Yakin; Ricardo Cabanas, Alex Frei, Johan Vonlanthen;
Israel: Nir Davidovich or Dudu Awate; Klemi Saban, Shimon Gershon, Arik Benado, Tal Ben Haim or Alon Harazi, Adoram Keisi; Walid Badir, Idan Tal, Avi Nimni, Yossi Benayoun; Yaniv Katan.
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
