France were the perhaps the biggest winners on the night, escaping the Pot X as earlier expected and drawing Switzerland from the seeded pot and Ecuador and Honduras.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/australia-in-nightmare-group-of-death-for-brazil-world-cup-20131207-2yxjw.html#ixzz2mj5SpbV6

Edited by Joffa: 17/5/2014 09:52:27 PM

Edited by Joffa: 17/6/2014 10:27:48 PM

'The Group of Cakewalk for France'? Or should be! IF Switzerland somehow top this group over France, then France clearly don't deserve to be regarded as Dark Horses. Though this group surely provides Ribery and co with a straight path to the Round of 16?!

Edited by gloryperth: 7/12/2013 08:32:45 AM

Group E: Predictions and Preview
December 6, 2013

By Andy Brassell

Group E: France get lucky
Overview

After the playoffs, exhale. Didier Deschamps must have a potent horseshoe somewhere in his bag; after a disastrous first leg of the playoffs against Ukraine, everything has gone right since, with a rousing comeback at the Stade de France in the return that gave way to this favourable draw. Neighbouring Switzerland will also be pretty pleased, scoffing at the inference that lightning doesn’t strike twice -- they cruised through a clement group containing Iceland, Slovenia and a very off-colour Norway.

It was Ecuador’s early form that got them through the notoriously tough South American qualifiers; they have been in poor form of late, winning just once in their past 10 games, although they did beat Colombia and Chile earlier in the qualification campaign. They also already beat Honduras -- surely the group's dark horses -- in a March friendly. Luis Fernando Suarez’s team are not in sparkling form, either, having won one in six, but that was a crucial victory in the qualifying campaign over a horribly out-of-nick Mexico.

Projected finish

We should expect France to take the group, Switzerland to be runners-up, Ecuador in third and Honduras to finish bottom.


Team by team

France: Having scraped into the draw for Brazil by the skin of their teeth, France have the quality to go deep in this competition, with members of the long-feted 1987 generation such as Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri expected to step up. There are doubts over whether Didier Deschamps really knows what his best team is, and their defending can be occasionally shambolic, so expect captain Hugo Lloris to see a bit of action between the posts, too.

Switzerland: It is hard to believe that in Ottmar Hitzfeld’s first competitive game as Switzerland boss, the Nati suffered a humiliating loss to Luxembourg in qualifying for World Cup 2010. It’s been all uphill since then, as they recovered to finish first in that qualifying group and are now at a third successive finals. Hitzfeld is leading a far different side than 2006’s version -- or even the side that shocked Spain in 2010 -- with the squad’s diverse origins lending it a fresh flair. Switzerland have huge strength in the goalkeeping department with Diego Benaglio and Yann Sommer, and some of the world’s brightest midfield players in captain Gokhan Inler, Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Ecuador: Reinaldo Rueda’s side have had a rough year, struggling for form and mourning the tragic death of striker Chucho Benitez. Their greatest strength -- much as with the Swiss -- lies in midfield, with Manchester United’s Luis Antonio Valencia and Dynamo Moscow’s Christian Noboa adding quality and penetration. Felipe Caicedo and Jefferson Montero are dangerous up front, although neither has really built on the early promise shown in European club football. Ecuador’s defence, however, has been leaky for the past year.

Honduras: They will not be fancied but are used to holding their own in competitive fixtures against Mexico, the U.S. and Costa Rica, so they are no pushovers. There is creativity and industry in Wilson Palacios and Roger Espinoza, while Maynor Figueroa is well-known as a doughty competitor. The reliable Carlo Costly and New England Revolution’s Jerry Bengtson will be required to chip in with some goals.

Best individual battle: Stephan Lichtsteiner vs. Franck Ribery

This head-to-head, when Switzerland meet France, should be no-holds-barred. These are two of the most energetic -- and fit -- players in the modern game, with the Juve wing-back a threat going forward as well as a defender who bends the rules to their absolute limit on occasion. Ribery, a similarly high achiever, has become a dynamo at both ends of the pitch in the past couple of years, and he will use all of his box of tricks to try to get the better of his opponent. They might even get a warm-up in the Champions League if Juventus face Bayern.

Best game: France vs. Switzerland

This will be in the second round of matches and will take place in Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova. It should be fairly mild temperature-wise and suit both teams, and it promises to be a vast improvement on the snorefest the pair served up in 2002. These are two athletic teams that like to attack, but what would make it really interesting is if one of the pair failed to win its first game, making sure that holding what it has is not an option.

X factor: French frailty

The psychological scars of the mutiny in Knysna four years ago have nowhere near healed, and there is still a very difficult relationship between the squad and the general public. Whatever happens, they should be fine to exit the group, but Euro 2012 showed how those past problems still dog them -- Les Bleus went into the tournament on a long unbeaten run and in fine fettle, yet losing a dead rubber to Sweden opened up all the old divisions and precipitated Laurent Blanc’s exit as coach. Proceed with caution.

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1640369?cc=3436

After using the simulator many times, I thought such a group would happen and it did, with the exact teams. Such a given as France got themselves out of pot 2.Hope Ecuador step up and Honduras make it very hard.

x2 - Spring some surprises and make France work for it!

Switzerland turns to coach Petkovic

December 25, 2013, Wednesday

Lazio coach Vladimir Petkovic will take over as Switzerland manager when Ottmar Hitzfeld retires after next year’s World Cup in Brazil, the Swiss Football Association said yesterday.

“The successor to Ottmar Hitzfeld as Swiss national team coach is Vladimir Petkovic (50). The present coach of Lazio ... signed a contract on Monday with the Swiss Football Association,” the ASF said on its website. Sarajevo-born Petkovic’s contract starts on July 1, 2014, and runs until the end of 2015 but it will be extended through Euro 2016 in France if Switzerland qualifies for the tournament. Petkovic will take over a national team that has blossomed under 64-year-old German Hitzfeld to the point where the Swiss are one of the seeds for the 2014 World Cup. A Bosnian Croat, Petkovic began his career as a player in 1981, first in Yugoslavia, later moving to clubs in Switzerland. He coached Bellinzona, Young Boys and Sion before taking up the post in Rome in 2012, where he led Lazio to Italian Cup glory.


http://www.shanghaidaily.com/

France to play three pre-WC friendlies

23 December 2013, 21:00

France will play three friendly matches on home soil before departing for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it was confirmed on Monday.

The French Football Federation said that Les Bleus will play games at the Stade de France on May 27, in Nice on June 1 and in Lille on June 8.

The names of their opponents will be revealed early in the New Year.

Didier Deschamps's squad will get together on May 19 at the national team training centre in Clairefontaine near Paris as they prepare to face Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras in Group E.

Their opening game in Brazil will be against Honduras in the southern city of Porto Alegre on June 15.

© Sapa - AFP
http://www.supersport.com/football/world-cup-2014/news/131223/France_to_play_three_preWC_friendlies

France enters World Cup as dangerous outsider

Published: April 10, 2014 5:49 AM
By The Associated Press JEROME PUGMIRE (AP Sports Writer)


PARIS - (AP) -- Winning back the trust of the fans has proved to be a long and difficult process for France following the training ground strike that shamed the nation at the last World Cup.

The incredible scenes of joy at the final whistle when France beat Ukraine 3-0 in October -- overturning a 2-0 deficit from the first leg -- underlined just how much this meant to long-suffering fans.

France's display on that tense night will go down in the nation's football folklore, and rightly so. It was full of the flair, passion and sheer exuberance once a hallmark of the team that won the 1998 World Cup, the 2000 European Championship and reached the World Cup final in 2006.

As the Stade de France crowd sang at the final whistle, the players joined in and unity was restored. Now, France heads to Brazil with relatively little pressure in the role of dangerous outsider.

France failed to win a game four years ago in South Africa and scored only one goal. This time it stands a good chance of winning Group E ahead of Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras, and avoiding a possible second-round encounter with Argentina.

Following the retirement of Zinedine Zidane after the 2006 final, France lacked leadership and invention. The team was a fading force in South Africa, with Thierry Henry on his last legs, and others like Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka failing to live up to their reputations.

Euro 2012 was better, until France played Spain and was easily beaten in the quarterfinals. Both of those tournaments were marred by player unrest.

The current side looks far more cohesive and team spirit has genuinely been restored under coach Didier Deschamps, who has players approaching peak form.

Striker Karim Benzema is finally fulfilling his potential and has been superb for Real Madrid in recent weeks, while 21-year-old Paul Pogba is one of the most highly coveted midfielders in world football. Add the creative spark of Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery, the tenacious midfield tackling of Blaise Matuidi and the crisp passing of Yohan Cabaye and France has enough quality to threaten most teams.

With the midfield and forward line settled, the area France needs to sort out is defense.

Left back Patrice Evra looks likely to keep his place, although that seems to be more through lack of competition for places rather than form, while the right back slot is between Bacary Sagna and Mathieu Debuchy.

Eliaquim Mangala is making a late bid to take one of the center half places but Deschamps is likely to pick Laurent Koscielny alongside Raphael Varane.

Koscielny is prone to giving away penalties and has a volatile temperament -- he was sent off in the first leg against Ukraine in Kiev. However, the Arsenal defender remains a good reader of the game and his passing from the back is useful to start attacks.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris remains the undisputed first choice and team captain.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/france-enters-world-cup-as-dangerous-outsider-1.7663359

Ecuador offers lots of attacking options at WCup

By Associated Press2:47 a.m.April 10, 2014

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia, by far Ecuador's best-known player, will be joined by some other up-and-coming attackers that could shine at the World Cup in Brazil.

The main doubt for Ecuador is more likely to be in defense, where the team has no Europe-based players.

That could be a problem in Group E, where France is a heavy favorite and second place will be fought over by Ecuador, Switzerland and Honduras.

Here are five players to watch:

___

FELIPE CAICEDO

Christian Benitez's death on July 29, 2013, tore up Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rueda's plans for his team's attack and made Felipe Caicedo's role increasingly important.

Caicedo, who plays for Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, is now the main central striker. He has experience playing for Manchester City in the Premier League and with Spanish club Malaga.

The 25-year-old Caicedo debuted for Ecuador when he was 16 and is known for his strength, speed and ability to hold up play.

Caicedo scored seven goals in nine appearances in South American qualifying.

___

ANTONIO VALENCIA

A lot of responsibility for Ecuador's performance at the World Cup lies with right winger Antonio Valencia, who joined Manchester United in 2009.

Valencia, whose nickname in Spanish is "the train" due to his speed, will be charged with providing opportunities for Caicedo, as well as tracking back to help out the defense.

The Manchester United player starred for Ecuador the last time it reached the World Cup in 2006, after which he joined Wigan. He is known for his down-to-earth demeanor and work ethic.

Valencia was deeply affected by the death of Benitez, a long-time friend who had been his teammate at Ecuadorean club Nacional and with the national team. He even tattooed his image onto his arm.

___

JEFFERSON MONTERO

A left winger playing for Mexican club Morelia, Jefferson Montero has already played in Europe for Spanish side Villarreal and is one of Ecuador's most dangerous attacking players.

Montero is highly experienced at international level, despite his youth, and will be looking for a good World Cup to garner interest from European clubs.

Montero has pace, good control and is capable of stretching defenses if given room to operate.

___

ENNER VALENCIA

Another Ecuadorean in the Mexican league, Enner Valencia has only recently earned a starting place in the national team, but is already an important player.

No relation to Antonio Valencia, he is set to play alongside Caicedo in Ecuador's attack, but is more of a withdrawn forward and will drop deep to receive the ball or drift to the flanks.

Valencia only featured in three of Ecuador's qualifying games late on in the campaign, but impressed coach Reinaldo Rueda.

"Hopefully Enner Valencia will be one of the revelations (of the World Cup)," Rueda said.

___

CHRISTIAN NOBOA

Christian Noboa has played most of his career in Russia, joining Rubin Kazan in 2007 and moving on to Dynamo Moscow in 2012, where he has established himself as one of the best central midfielders in the league.

The 28-year-old Noboa was first called up to Ecuador's national team in 2006, but didn't become a regular until Rueda took over. Noboa then went on to become one of the key figures in qualifying and is set to play alongside experienced midfielder Segundo Castillo in Brazil.

Noboa is the heartbeat of Ecuador's team, with his range of passing bringing wingers like Valencia and Montero into the game.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/10/ecuador-offers-lots-of-attacking-options-at-wcup/

Edited by Joffa: 11/4/2014 02:31:25 AM

I would have punched a baby in the face to have this group. France will breeze it in.

I have tickets to France v Honduras in Porto Alegre. Expecting a one sided affair but looking forward to seeing Ribery, Benzema , Pogba, Lloris and so on in full flight!

FIFA World Cup countdown: Top 10 Honduran footballers of all time


By Liam Apicella, Features Editor
Filed: Sunday, May 11, 2014 at 12:15 UK
Last Updated: Sunday, May 11, 2014 at 12:46 UK


While they may not be a household nation, Honduras have been slowly on the rise over recent years, to the point that they are now 30th in FIFA's world rankings.

It's an ascent that was helped by finishing third in the Copa America back in 2001, while they held Switzerland to a draw as they exited the 2010 World Cup in South Africa at the group stages.

Along with the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico, Los Catrachos qualified for this summer's tournament in Brazil via the CONCACAF qualifying group.


Here, to continue our countdown to the 2014 tournament, Sports Mole looks at the top 10 players in the history of Honduras.

---

10. Emilio Izaguirre (2007-present, 66 caps, one goal)

Defender Emilio Izaguirre in action for Honduras against Ecuador on November 19, 2013.

Some Celtic fans will argue that the £600,000 parted with to sign Izaguirre back in 2010 was money well spent. An ankle injury limited his number of appearances during the 2011-12 campaign, but aside from that, he's been a key part of the club's starting lineup.

The 28-year-old has won three Scottish Premier League titles and two Scottish Cups, while in 2011 he cleaned up were individual accolades were concerned. Among the honours that he won, he was named the SPFA Players' Player of the Year and Scottish Football Writers Player of the Year.

A regular for Honduras, Izaguirre was part of the squad that qualified for the World Cup four years ago, where he featured against Chile and Spain.

---

9. Noel Valladares (2000-present, 118 caps, no goals)

Goalkeeper Noel Valladares in action for Honduras against Ecuador on November 19, 2013.

Widely regarded to be the best goalkeeper to have ever donned a pair of gloves for Honduras, only Amado Guevara has turned out on more occasions for Los Catrachos.

The 37-year-old made his debut in 2000, where he played at that summer's Olympic Games in Sydney. His best moment at international level, though, came in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup where he was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper.

Domestically, the veteran has won a total of 14 Liga Nacional de Futbol de Honduras titles from his stints with C.D. Olimpia and C.D. Motagua.

---

8. Oscar Boniek Garcia (2005-present, 91 caps, two goals)

Oscar Boniek Garcia in action for Honduras against Ecuador on November 19, 2013.

Rumour has it that Garcia was named after the famous former Poland and Juventus midfielder Zbigniew Boniek - the name that Garcia has opted to have on the back of his shirt since his debut.

In the summer of 2009, it was claimed that Garcia would sign a deal to join Wigan Athletic, but the move never materialised and it wasn't until 2012 that he left his homeland club Olimpia to link up with MLS outfit Houston Dynamo.

The energetic right winger has made an impression in the States, so much so that he was named the MLS Latin Player of the Year during his debut campaign.

---

7. Carlo Costly (2007-present, 68 caps, 30 goals)

Carlo Costly celebrates scoring for Honduras against Ecuador on November 19, 2013.

He may not be overly prolific at club level, but Costly has no such problem finding the net in a Honduras shirt. The 31-year-old has scored vital goals as well, including two as Honduras reached the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2009.

Costly also contributed four goals during World Cup qualifying in 2010, but injury prevented him from turning out in South Africa.

The centre-forward has played for a host of clubs in a number of different countries, including Poland, China, USA and England, where he had a short loan spell with Birmingham City.

---

6. Wilmer Velasquez (1994-2007, 47 caps, 35 goals)

Wilmer Velasquez celebrates scoring for Honduras on February 25, 2005.

Having spent the majority of his career in his homeland, Velasquez is the leading goalscorer in the history of the Honduran National Football League.

The 42-year-old is a real favourite among the supporters of Olimpia, who he has signed for on four separate occasions.

His 35 goals at international level makes him the second leading goalscorer of all time for Honduras. Among that tally has been hat-tricks against Panama, Nicaragua (twice) and Japan.

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5. Maynor Figueroa (2003-present, 102 caps, three goals)

Hull City defender Maynor Figueroa in action for Honduras against Ecuador on November 19, 2013.

Although not known for his goalscoring prowess, Figueroa can boast the fact that he has scored one of the best goals in the history of English football. Playing for Wigan Athletic in 2009, the defender scored from his own half during a match away at Stoke City.

Following his time with the Latics, the 31-year-old joined Hull last summer and has been a key member of a team that has defied the doubters to ensure their Premier League status and reach the final of the FA Cup.

Since his Honduras debut in 2003, Figueroa has made 102 appearances, which makes him his country's third most capped player of all time.

---

4. Wilson Palacios (2003-present, 92 caps, five goals)

Stoke City midfielder Wilson Palacios in action for Honduras against Ecuador on November 19, 2013.

Another of Honduras's Premier League representatives, Palacios has spent the last seven years of his career in England. Arguably his biggest impact came with Tottenham Hotspur, whom he helped to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 2010.

The 29-year-old has also turned out for Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and currently Stoke City. The Potters reportedly paid around £6m for his services.

Along with his brothers Jerry and Johnny, they became the first trio of siblings to represent a single nation at the World Cup in 2010.

---

3. Milton Nunez (1994-2008, 86 caps, 33 goals)

Milton Nunez in action for Honduras against Costa Rica on July 16, 2005.

It was claimed that when Peter Reid took Nunez to Sunderland in 1999, he believed that has in fact signing Adolfo Valencia from PAOK. The Honduran struggled to make an impact on Wearside, where he would make just two appearances.

Nevertheless, the centre-forward was a success elsewhere as he won league titles in Honduras, Uruguay and Guatemala.

He also found goals easy to come by with the national team, with his tally of 33 making him Honduras's third leading goalscorer of all time. Arguably his finest moment came when he scored twice during the 2-1 win over the USA in 2001.

---

2. Amado Guevara (1994-2010, 138 caps, 27 goals)

Honduras captain Amado Guevara in action at the World Cup in South Africa on June 16, 2010.

In what was Honduras's finest showing at a major tournament during the 2001 Copa America, Guevara was the shining light. He scored three times as Los Catrachos unexpectedly progressed beyond the group stages, before they knocked out Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Honduras eventually exited the competition at the semi-final stage, but Guevara's performances resulted in him being named the Player of the Tournament.

Among his many clubs, the 38-year-old was most influential with the MetroStars, now known as the New York Red Bulls. During his time there, he was named in the MLS's Team of the Season in 2004.

---

1. Carlos Pavon (1993-2010, 101 caps, 58 goals)

Carlos Pavon celebrates scoring for Honduras on January 23, 2010.

There are a number of goalscorers on this list, but none of them have scored more times for Honduras than Pavon. Among his 58 strikes were the seven that he fired in during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

He also shone at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored five times to be the tournament's leading goalscorer.

Pavon represented a total of 16 clubs in a variety of countries, including Napoli, Udinese, Real Valladolid and Los Angeles Galaxy. During his time with the American club, he was a teammate of David Beckham.

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/honduras/world-cup-top-10/feature/top-10-honduran-footballers-of-all-time_154320.html

World Cup 2014 squads: Switzerland name final 23

By Jack Sargeant  @sargeant_j on May 13 2014, 7:33a 1

Switzerland manager Ottmar Hitzfeld has named his World Cup squad, and it's full of talent.

Switzerland may well cause a few surprises at this World Cup. Manager Ottmar Hitzfeld has named his squad, and it sure looks a strong one. Though they're a little light on experience up front and quality at centre-back, they've got bags of talent across the field.

Though they boast the likes Stephan Lichtsteiner and young up-and-comer Fabian Schär in defence, their their strongest area is almost certainly in midfield. Captain Gökhan Inler partners his experienced Napoli teammates Valon Behrami and Blerim Džemaili, and young Bundesliga duo Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri.

The most experienced player in the squad is Eintracht Frankfurt's winger Tranquillo Barnetta, who has 73 caps; almost double the international experience of their four strikers combined. There's no place in the 23 for the rather more experienced forward Eren Derdiyok, who's left on the standby list.

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Roman Bürki (Grasshopper), Yann Sommer (Basel)

Defenders: Johan Djourou (Hamburg), Michael Lang (Grasshopper), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Ricardo Rodríguez (Wolfsburg), Fabian Schär (Basel), Philippe Senderos (Valencia), Steve von Bergen (Young Boys), Reto Ziegler (Sassuolo)

Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Frankfurt), Valon Behrami (Napoli), Blerim Džemaili (Napoli), Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg), Gökhan Inler (Napoli), Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Valentin Stocker (Basel), Granit Xhaka (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Forwards: Josip Drmić (Nürnberg), Mario Gavranović (Zürich), Haris Seferović (Real Sociedad), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg)

Standby

Goalkeeper: Marwin Hitz (Augsburg)

Defenders: Timm Klose (Wolfsburg), Silvan Widmer (Udinese)

Midfielders: Fabian Frei (Basel), Pajtim Kasami (Fulham), Pirmin Schwegler (Frankfurt)

Forwards: Eren Derdiyok (Leverkusen).

http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2014/5/13/5712822/world-cup-2014-squads-switzerland

Group E Winner

France 1.80
Switzerland 3.60
Ecuador 5.00
Honduras 21.00

http://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/soccer/international-soccer/world-cup-2014/outrights

World Cup 2014: Switzerland are huge value to top Group E


Luke Moore turns his attention to Group E and feels that Switzerland are massively overpriced to do the business...

World Cup Group E

First game: Switzerland v Ecuador, Sunday June 15, 17:00BST

Switzerland
To win group: 3.85
To qualify from group: 1.65

Although they had a reasonably straightforward group, Switzerland nonetheless qualified well ahead of Iceland and Slovenia to qualify for this summer's football festival with ease. Unbeaten both home and away, Ottmar Hitzfeld's team dispatched pretty much all who challenged them, with the exception of a stutter in Cyprus (0-0) and further draws against Iceland and Norway.

The Swiss may not be a team that football fans immediately think of when listing countries to make a lasting impression on this tournament, but in truth they have a good amount of quality in their side and a half-decent record recently in World Cups; the only team to beat Spain in 2010, they were unlucky to be knocked out of a fiendishly difficult group after a draw against Honduras in the final game, in which the Honduran goalkeeper delivered probably the best performance of his career.

Top line names in the Swiss squad this time round include Bayern Munich's Xherdan Shaqiri, the excellent Gokhan Inler of Napoli along with his club teammate Valon Behrami, energetic fullback Stephan Lichtsteiner and veteran midfield player Tranquilo Barnetta. La Nati may just surprise a few this summer - this group is winnable and a second round fixture against Nigeria or Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold no fear for Ottmar Hitzfeld (who has won the Champions League twice as a manager, lest we forget) and his charges.


Ecuador
To win group: 5.2
To qualify from group: 1.99

Ecuador come into this, their third World Cup, with realistic expectations. The group is kinder than many would have feared, and manager Reinaldo Rueda will have spotted chinks in the armour of both France and Switzerland, the Group E's fancied sides, but he knows the task ahead of them is still large.

Rueda's men qualified in fourth place in South American qualifying, and were undefeated at home throughout the entire qualification examination with some eye-catching results. A huge caveat to that though is that Quito, where Ecuador play their home games, is over 9,000 feet above sea level and the altitude obviously serves as a huge advantage to them. Away from home, La Tri didn't win a single game.

Manchester United's Antonio Valencia is key for the South Americans, and he will want to put a disappointing season in the Premier League behind him, as will ex-Man City forward Felipe Caicedo whose career has stuttered recently and currently finds himself plying his trade in the Middle East with Al-Jazira. Defender Frackson Erazo's performances have secured him a move to Brazilian giants Flamengo, and he will be their key man at the back, tasked with stopping the French and Swiss.


France
To win group: 1.85
To qualify from group: 1.23

France shimmied their way past Ukraine in dramatic fashion to qualify for Brazil and have promptly taken their place as sixth favourites in the betting to lift the famous trophy. 26.0 seems about right, but you certainly wouldn't want to be backing them at a shorter price.

France's problems aren't centred around the personnel at their disposal; clearly they have an embarrassment of talent throughout their side. Personalities and politics caused a national embarrassment for Les Bleus last time however, and Didier Deschamps will be keen to avoid such a debacle this time around.

Deschamps knows his team have an eminently winnable group, and as with Switzerland they also know that, if they can top Group E, they'll likely have a decent path to the quarter-final. France's game with the Swiss is likely to be key - if they come second then Argentina will likely await them, and the Argentines are a daunting prospect, especially in South America.

Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery, Yohan Cabaye, Olivier Giroud, Raphael Varane, Hugo Lloris, Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi...the list of quality goes on and on, but can France get the balance right? If 26.0 is fair on them winning the tournament, their current prices to win and qualify from their group are far too short.

Make no mistake - France have a rick in them.


Honduras
To win group: 32.0
To qualify from group: 8.2

This is the third time Honduras will be competing at the World Cup, and they'll be looking to improve on 2010's showing where they failed to win a single game and finished bottom of their (admittedly very tough) group without scoring.

Los Catrachos qualified for Brazil by finishing third in the fourth round of Concacaf qualifying, ahead of Mexico and not far behind Costa Rica in second (who they beat in San Pedro Sula). In fact, the Hondurans didn't lose a single game at home in qualification and boast one or two decent operators at the top level - Wilson Palacios has plied his trade in the Premier League for a long time now, and Roger Espinoza has lifted the FA Cup with Wigan.

Realistically though, they are the weakest team in this group and will struggle to make an impression here. The odds are a pretty accurate reflection of their chances of making it to the knockout stages and although this group isn't the strongest on show, in all reality France and Switzerland especially should have far too much for them.

Recommended Bet

Back Switzerland to win Group E at 3.85

https://betting.betfair.com/football/world-cup/world-cup-2014-group-e-160514-300.html

Allez les blues.

World Cup winner Karembeu says France can win again in 2014

By Stuart MacLennan 2014-05-24 10:52:00

Former France and Real Madrid midfielder Christian Karembeu, who won the tournament by beating Brazil in the 1998 final, has told reporters that he thinks his country can go all the way this summer.

Karembeu said of France's chances: "We have a great team with many talented players. Obviously we will be one of the main challengers in this World Cup, even though it was difficult for us to qualify."

"France can repeat 1998 or 2006, because in 2006 we were in the final in Germany. We can go very far."

Despite having to qualify for the tournament via a play-off with Ukraine, France remain littered with talent, from Franck Ribery to Karim Benzema, and have a relatively sangunie Group E to get past, featuring Switzerland, Honduras and Ecuador.

Manager Didier Deschamps has also chosen to select several youngsters, including Eliaquim Mangala and Paul Pogba for next month's event.

http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/60613__.html

Ribery is apparently out of the WC.

Saw this on another forum :lol:

NATE Silver’s powers of prediction are unparalleled.

As the brain behind statistical analysis blog FiveThirtyEight, Silver has been forecasting results in political elections and sporting contests for years. During the last US presidential election, he correctly predicted the winner in all 50 states.

Now, Silver has turned his attention to the World Cup.

He has developed a predictive model called the Soccer Power Index (SPI), which harnesses reams of data to rate every team’s chances on a match-by-match basis.

“Technically speaking, SPI is two ratings systems rolled into one,” Silver says. “One based solely on a national team’s play, and one that reflects a composite of player ratings for what SPI projects to be a team’s top line-up.”

If you want to know how the index works in excruciating detail, you can read more about it here. Otherwise, you can see its predictions for every World Cup group below.


GROUP E: Ecuador, France, Honduras, Switzerland

According to FIFA’s official rankings, Switzerland is the world’s sixth best team, but Silver’s model gives Ecuador (55.4 per cent) a better chance of making it to the knockout phase.

In any case, the French should dominate this group ... assuming they actually show up.

“France has arguably as much player talent as any team but Brazil, Germany, Spain or Argentina, but its national team results have been inconsistent for a long while,” Silver writes.

SO, WHO WILL WIN THE WORLD CUP?

“Argentina, Germany and Spain, like Brazil, are wonderful soccer teams. You could perhaps debate which of the four would be favoured if the World Cup were played on a hastily constructed soccer pitch somewhere in the middle of the desert,” Silver writes.

“But this World Cup is being played in Brazil. No country has beaten Brazil on its home turf in almost 12 years.”

That loss, in a friendly against Paraguay back in 2002, barely counts. Brazil didn’t take the game seriously, and substituted most of its star players well before full-time. According to Silver, Brazil’s last home defeat in a match that actually mattered was in 1975.

With home ground advantage factored in, alongside all the other data, Silver’s Soccer Power Index gives Brazil a 45.2 per cent chance of winning the World Cup, ahead of Argentina (12.8 per cent), Germany (10.9 per cent), Spain (7.6 per cent) and Chile (4.2 per cent).

http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/fifa-world-cup-2014-superstar-statistician-nate-silver-has-bad-news-for-australia/story-fnkjl6g2-1226950736040

Edited by Joffa: 11/6/2014 10:00:28 PM

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts

Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ecuador 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Honduras 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Missed the France/Honduras game.

Did France look dominant before the send off?

attack of the Ben Williams

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=6/news=referee-designations-for-matches-24-26-2375749.html

Disliking how good France have been :\

Ecuador vs Honduras

A game which has the label "Who cares" on it?

Neither team are going to take out the tournament, if anything both teams are competing to avoid the tag 'worst team in the tournament'

I harbour the same agreement as Che Guevara when he said he wanted a "United states of South America", just like North America with the 50 English speaking USA

It would remove a lot of meaningless small countries in South America like Ecuador, Honduras. I mean they all speak Spanish, and there is a system where the stronger states can support the weak *ducks and hides for ideas of Communism*



The problematic element to South America is the country with the biggest population is Brazil, they all speak Portuguese there.

You do realise Honduras isn't in South America right?

-PB

Yeah... small countries have no right to exist. Too hell with them all!:roll:

Think about it, why are there so many borders on the continent where everyone speaks the same language (Spanish), after you leave the USA? Granted theres a shit load more crime and drug lords in that part of the world with Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia and Venezuela

its not like Europe where its a reasonable indicator what languages people would speak or even what certain people would look like

The only thing that it sparks interest is finding them at opening ceremonies at Olympics and looking to find them on a map, identifying what their capital cities are

](*,)

What might happen is if Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were all one country they would all kill each other

and I'd say, let them

Its already been tried: Colombia, Venezuela and much of Central America were combined into one big state in the 19th century. It didn't work, and it only lasted 12 years. Too many regional interests and differences involved.

Edited by localstar: 26/6/2014 08:27:36 PM

Bang on the money, Localstar.