EURO 2008 INFO

Germany returns to the venue of its first international game 100 years ago for a key test against Switzerland before the upcoming European Championship.

Wednesday's game is Germany's last before coach Joachim Loew names his Euro 2008 squad on May 16.

Germany already has played one of the co-hosts of the June tournament, Austria, and won 3-0 in February.

"I expect an incredibly intense game," Loew said Monday. "For me, Switzerland is one of Euro 2008 favorites."

"We'll have to play much better than we did against Austria," he said.

Germany produced an underwhelming performance in Austria before prevailing on late goals, prompting many in the country to scale down their expectations from the European Championship.

The Germans had been tipped as favorites for their fourth European title, after finishing third at home at the 2006 World Cup.

"We have to show ourselves in the same light we did during qualifying. That was not the case recently," Loew said.

Both teams have injury worries. Loew had been hoping to use Robert Huth for the first time since the World Cup but the Middlesbrough central defender was ruled out Monday with a left-foot injury. The same troubled foot led Huth to miss months after the World Cup.

Experienced midfielder Torsten Frings is recovering from a knee injury and was not called up for the Basel game but he has started playing again for Werder Bremen.

Switzerland will be without defensive midfielder Ludovic Magnin, who injured his ankle in Stuttgart's 4-1 win over Hansa Rostock in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Coach Jakob Kuhn will welcome back top marksman Alexander Frei, who has 32 goals in 56 international appearances but has missed most of the last year with injuries.

The 28-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker could start up front alongside Blaise Nkufo, who has scored 21 goals this season for Dutch side FC Twente.

No surprises are expected in the midfield, where Manchester City's Gelson Fernandes and Udinese's Gokhan Inler likely will provide the core. Leverkusen's 22-year-old midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta will be counted on for creativity.

The Swiss, which qualified automatically for Euro 2008 as co-hosts with Austria, have lost three straight friendlies.

Germany played its first international in Basel on April 5, 1908 and lost 5-3 to the Swiss. But since then, the Germans have dominated their neighbors, losing only eight and drawing six of the previous 49 games.

The last time Germany lost to Switzerland was 52 years ago, 3-1. Germany has never played more often against another nation, and Switzerland was the team that was Germany's first opponent after both world wars.

Since its international debut, Germany has played 799 games and Wednesday's match will be its 800th.