Swiss target top spot

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AP):

Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has raised his team's sights from simply qualifying for the round of 16 at the World Cup to winning a group that contains European champions Spain.

Hitzfeld's team surprisingly beat Spain 1-0 in their first match, and take on Chile in their second match today at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. A win would all but ensure qualification for the second round.

"Before every match, I want to win," Hitzfeld said yesterday in remarks translated from German. "Against Spain you can dream of a win and the dream becomes a reality. Against Chile we have different expectations. Now we have the possibility of taking first place, and we want to take the opportunity with both hands."

Hitzfeld said he had decided on a starting line-up, but would not "let the cat out of the bag today." He said he will announce the line-up to the squad at a meeting three hours before kick off.

Taken seriously

Hitzfeld smiled when asked if the win over Spain, Switzerland's first in 18 attempts, had caused his side to be taken more seriously.

"Well, in Switzerland we are always taken seriously," he said. "We got three points against Spain, and nobody expected us to."

Regardless, he said Chile has to be considered favourite for today's match.

"Chile have a a great deal of international experience, they came second in South America (qualifying), just one point less than Brazil," Hitzfeld said of the qualifying tournament. "That tells us a lot about the strength of this team."

Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa said he doesn't share Hitzfeld's impression of which team is favourite.

"I think in this World Cup if there is something which is not allowed, it is to believe who will win," Bielsa said in Spanish through an interpreter. "Normally there are no favourites in this competition, and I think even less than in other World Cups."