With the European champions expected to top Group H and Honduras widely anticipated to be the whipping boys, it looks like a straight fight between Switzerland and Chile for second place.

Bayer Leverkusen man Derdiyok appreciates the challenge that lies ahead of him, but feels confident his team-mates have the quality to progress.

He told Press Association Sport: "I believe very much that we will qualify for the last 16, even though the group is very, very difficult for a small football country like Switzerland.

"We are never favourites, but we can be giant-killers."

Switzerland's World Cup record is less than inspiring and this will be only the third time since 1966 - and the ninth time overall - they have competed.

Their two appearances in recent times - in the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006 - saw them reach the second round, most notably last time around when they topped a group which included France before falling to Ukraine on penalties.

That time, under popular coach Kobi Kuhn, they went out of the tournament without having conceded a goal.

And they have high hopes of again making it into the knockout stages with former Bayern Munich boss Ottmar Hitzfeld at the helm.

Derdiyok has plenty of respect for the sides standing in their way, though.

"Spain are the European champions and, together with Brazil, arguably the best team in the world and therefore also favourites for the title," he said.

"Chile had an unbelievably strong qualification and qualified well in a group with Brazil and Argentina, despite not having the best of starts.

"The team are also very strong technically, therefore we all have to produce a super performance if we want to win.

"Honduras is for many people a small team, but not for us international players. We have a lot of respect for this team, who are also technically strong."

Switzerland's very presence in South Africa is something of a success after a miserable start to their qualification campaign.

They won only one of their first three games, which included an embarrassing loss to Luxembourg and a draw with Israel.

They turned their fortunes around, though, by winning four of the last six games and in the end topped a group that included Greece, Latvia and Moldova.

They finally sealed qualification with a goalless draw against Israel in Basle.

It was quite a turnaround given not only their stumbling to start to the campaign, but also their disappointing showing in Euro 2008.

The tournament was something of an embarrassment for the Swiss as, on home soil, defeats by Czech Republic and Turkey meant a consolation win over Portugal was not enough to stop them finishing bottom of their group.

That performance has given Switzerland's players an added motivation to acquit themselves better this time around.

"We are very determined," said Derdiyok. "We will prepare very seriously in Switzerland and in South Africa and do everything to play as good a tournament as possible."

Any success is likely to be based on their defence, with the unit which performed so admirably in Germany largely unchanged.

Star striker Alexander Frei has missed most of the second half of the domestic season after breaking his arm while playing for club side Basle.

Hitzfeld attempted to put a positive spin on the situation saying the striker, who has 40 international goals to his name, will be well rested, but his lack of match practice must count as something of a concern.

That could increase the pressure on Derdiyok, as well as veteran Hakan Yakin and Blaise Nkufo.

Midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta, Derdiyok's Leverkusen team-mate, is another key man for the Swiss.

Perhaps the greatest cause for optimism, though, is Hitzfeld, whose personal trophy haul as a coach includes seven German league titles and two Champions League crowns.

He will be quietly confident of taking Switzerland further than they went in his native Germany.