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World Cup 2014 Group E: France Is Favorite, But Watch Out For Switzerland

By Patricia Didelot
Published on: 15:06 PST, Jun 10, 2014

On paper, Group E has two clear favorites, but at the World Cup anything is possible and Ecuador and Honduras will try to put up a fight against France — the 1998 champions — as well as Switzerland, a solid team with a good record.

Let’s face it, Ecuador and Honduras don’t have much of a chance in Group E, and honestly, it would be a huge surprise if they move on to the round of 16. Very few see that scenario playing out.

On the other hand, France is a favorite to take the lead in the groups phase, even after the devastating loss of their star player, Franck Ribéry, with a back injury.

Despite the potentially disastrous news, France looks to lead Group E with the likes of Real Madrid’s Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena, winning their last friendly against Jamaica convincingly 8-0.

The result included two goals each from Blaise Matuidi, Karim Benzema, and Antoine Griezmann, plus two goals from Yohan Cabaye and Olivier Giroud.

This should put at least some of the fears to rest following Ribéry’s injury, and fans are hoping that 2014 will far surpass the goalless showing in the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

In 2010, Switzerland beat Spain, the current champions, and people took notice. In 2014, the tiny European country had an impressive qualifying stage for the World Cup in Brazil, and many are expecting them to move on the the next round. However, the Swiss lack a strong attack and that could be their downfall.

As far as Ecuador is concerned, this is the second consecutive World Cup appearance for the South Americans, who have good goal potential in forwards Felipe Caicedo and Jefferson Montero, along with midfielders Luis Antonio Valencia and Christian Noboa. The problem for Ecuador lies in their weak defense, which may not be able to withstand attacks by France and Switzerland.

Group E is one of those groups that has two clear favorites and not many expect there to be any upsets.

Prediction: France and Switzerland advance.

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