Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras
Switzerland is the surprising group leader of Group E. The "Schweizer Nati" held the 8st place at the FIFA ranking, just before Holland, that made them group leader. Stephan Lichtsteiner and midfielder Gökhan Inler are the best players, but Xherdan Shaqiri is a very talented winger and could be the next superstar. The only problem for him is the lack of matches he plays with Bayern München. Switzerland might surprisingly reach the quarter finals.
Ecuador has only been present at the World Cups twice, in 2002 and 2006 and they never reached further than the round of 16. Only Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia plays in a top competion, the Premier League, so "La Tri" are not likely to reach any further. The 1-1 draw against current runner-up Holland last week doesn't actually mean they still have chances, it only shows the terrible level and form of the Dutch team.
The national team of France has been in the news a few weeks ago because Samir Nasri was clearly not happy that he wasn't in the World Cup squad. Around the World Cup 2014, similar disturbances led to a very bad performance. If Franck Ribery, Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema and the other stars can bring the calmness back to "Les Bleus", France might be an outsider for the World Cup.
Honduras is one of the weakest teams in this World Cup. "Los Catrachos" mostly rely on the experienced defenders Emilio Izaguirre and Maynor Figueroa and midfielder Wilson Palacios, all playing in the UK. Carlo Costly is the only forward whose skills may be sufficient for an international tournament. Overall, I think Honduras lacks creative players who can bring extra power when they need it, which will be very often.
My expectation:
1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Ecuador
4. Honduras
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