Group E

Group E (team guides from FIFA)


Switzerland: Porto Seguro


Best Price: 125/1

FIFA's key players
There is undoubted quality throughout the side, starting with keeper Diego Benaglio, a German championship winner in 2009 with VfL Wolfsburg. The combination of experienced players such as Tranquillo Barnetta, Gokhan Inler and Philippe Senderos, with highly-talented youngsters Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabian Schar, Granit Xhaka and Valentin Stocker, has borne fruit and the side are more than capable of making their mark at Brazil 2014.

My key player: Granit Xhaka


Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Best performances in a FIFA competition: FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009 (Winners), FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Dubai 2009 (Runners-up), FIFA World Cup Italy 1934, France 1938, Switzerland 1954 (Quarter-finals)

Ecuador: Viamao


Best price = 200/1

FIFA's key players
Wingers Antonio Valencia and Christian Noboa, as well as forwards Felipe Caicedo and Jefferson Montero, represent an exciting new wave for Ecuadorian football, but they are also ably assisted by a handful of evergreen stalwarts with European experience, such as Edison Mendez, Walter Ayovi and Segundo Castillo.

My key player = Felipe Caicedo


Coach: Reinaldo Rueda
Best performance in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 (Round of 16)

France: Ribeirao Preto


Best price = 25/1

FIFA's key players
France boast solidity and strength in depth at the back, with a pair of top-drawer goalkeepers in Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda and a rearguard bolstered by the European experience of Eric Abidal, Laurent Koscielny and Raphael Varane. Further forward, Franck Ribery can produce moments of magic, while Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud both possess a keen eye for goal.

My key player = Paul Pogba


Coach: Didier Deschamps
Best performances in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup France 1998 (Winners), Men's Olympic Football Tournament Los Angeles 1984 (Winners), FIFA Confederations Cup Korea/Japan 2001, France 2003 (Winners), FIFA U-17 World Cup Trinidad and Tobago 2001 (Winners), and FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Rio de Janeiro 2005 (Winners)

Honduras: Porto Feliz


Best price = 4,000/1

The key players
Left-back Emilio Izaguirre was the find of the 2010/11 season for Celtic - named Scottish Premier League Player of the Year - and is a key force within Honduras's respectable backline. He is helped by captain and goalkeeper Noel Valladares who, despite a shy off-the-field personality, played an instrumental role in Honduras's qualification for South Africa 2010 and their deep run at the latest instalment of the Gold Cup. Wilson Palacios, one of the more recognisable faces of Honduran football playing for Stoke City, is also a crucial piece of the Honduran puzzle.
The front line have been doing their bit too, where old hand Carlo Costly has impressed alongside rising star Jerry Bengtson, who burst on to the international scene at London 2012 and top-scored for La H in the qualifiers with nine goals.

My key player = Jerry Bengston


Current coach: Luis Fernando Suarez
Best performances in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup Spain 1982, South Africa 2010 (Group stages)

Group E summary
A tricky and trappy group to work out. At first glance the temptation is to go with the European sides, but then you think about European sides' records outside Europe and you have to consider how much the conditions will play a part. So let's look. Only two group games will take place in uncomfortably hot and humid conditions and Switzerland feature in both. Luckily for them, neither is against Ecuador. The other good news for any European side that gets through this group is that they won't have to visit another venue  where conditions will be unfavourable for the rest of the tournament as whether they come 1st or 2nd their 2nd Round, QF, SF and final will all be in normal or perfect conditions. Switzerland have to overcome a suspicion they qualified through a relatively easy group, but they have performed well in under-age tournaments recently and they have a number of up-and-coming technical attacking players and can dispel the stereotype of boring Swiss. They should be underestimated by no-one. They have Ecuador first in temperate Brasilia before difficult condition matches against France in Salvador and Honduras in Manaus. I think they are rightly second favourites to go through but all three matches are very tough. Mrs Nasri might not be waving the tricolor this year but France look to have strength in all positions, and in my eyes they are rightly favourite for this group. They'll be happy to play both the American sides in conditions that won't be a disadvantage and from their base in Ribeirao Preto they have no more travelling to do than their group opponents. Those who believe in that sort of thing may be buoyed by their recent record which reads '98 = winners, '02 = group exit, '06 finalists, '10 = group exit...so following that pattern would see them get back to the final. They will be helped if they do qualify by knowing that they won't have to play a South American side in the latter stages in tough conditions. The game against Ecuador could also be useful practice for later matches should it work out that way. Ecuador are a very strong and physical side. I don't think anyone will enjoy playing agains them. They have had the allegation thrown at them that they only qualified because they play their home games at high altitude at Quito. Their home record is excellent, but they won in Portugal a couple of years ago and absolutely outplayed Germany in a friendly in Florida a year ago. They were 4-0 down in 25 minutes but were by far the better side for the whole match and should have won comfortably despite actually losing 4-2. I'm sure Ecuador would have loved to play the two European sides in hot and humid conditions, which along with their ahtletic, physical style would cause their opponents problems. The fact that all Ecuador's games in this World Cup will take place in normal conditions is to their disadvantage. Ecuador can qualify anyway and I think they are very underrated, but this is a tough group. If Honduras get through this group it will be a massive shock. They've got some talented players and there's no easy games at International football blah blah but anyone that doesn't get maximum points against Honduras in this group doesn't deserve to progress. France should qualify and win the group but are priced accordingly.

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