Attacking midfielder Hakan Yakin is so crucial to Switzerland that his own coach admits he is irreplaceable.

The presence of Yakin in Koebi Kuhn's team makes Switzerland's 4-3-1-2 formation work but without the 26-year-old player the Swiss coach lacks alternative options and creativity.

"We cannot replace him one for one," Kuhn said of the FC Basel midfielder, who provides regular goals from his role behind the two strikers.

Turkish-born Yakin, whose older brother Murat plays at the heart of the Swiss defence, made his international debut in February 2000 when he scored in a 4-1 win over Oman.

Since then he has been capped 27 times and found the net on 12 occasions. Switzerland's only loss of the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign -- a 4-1 reverse in Russia -- came with the midfielder left at home injured.

His performances in European soccer for Basel have also put Yakin, who had spells with St Gallen and Grasshoppers before moving to St Jakob Park, in the limelight.

Yakin shone in Basel's run to the second group phase of the Champions League last season and prompted interest from Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Celtic among others.

In the end, French side Paris Saint Germain decided to pay the 1.7 million euros to activate a release clause in Yakin's contract and offered him a move to France.

But days later the deal was terminated when Yakin underwent surgery on a groin injury against PSG's wishes.

Yakin has since returned to Basel and his goalscoring exploits helped the Swiss Cup holders to record an unprecedented 13 successive league wins at the start of the season.

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