Group E Preview

Group E	FIFA	ELO	Best Finish	WC 2010
Switzerland	8	14	3rd Round (3 times)	19th
Ecuador	28	14	2nd Round	DNQ
France	19	12	1st	29th
Honduras	30	44	1st Round (twice)	30th

Switzerland are by far the highest ranking team in this group. I'm not sure how they've earned an 8th place ranking, but so be it. They've made it to the Quarterfinals of the tournament on three occasions, but have never threatened to win it. Four years ago they opened up the Cup by beating Spain 1-0. They followed that up with a 0-1 loss to Chile and a 0-0 draw with Honduras. There's no way you beat the eventual World Champions and fail to do so against weaker teams without having some serious flaws. They open up against a French team that could be underrated, and will have a rematch with Honduras. The game against Ecuador can go the other way as well. Though ranked the highest, there is no guarantee here that the Swiss make it out of the group.

Ecuador missed out on World Cup 2010 and are glad to be back with the tournament so close to home. Though they are ranked low by FIFA's standards, the ELO has Ecuador even with Switzerland and two spots behind France. There isn't too much faith behind Switzerland or France, and a FIFA ranking that compares them to Honduras means that anything can happen in this group, but it shouldn't. Ecuador really find themselves one of three teams fighting for two spots.

France have won a World Cup in 1998 when they hosted it. Winning away from home hasn't been a fact. Four years ago they didn't win a game, losing to hosts South Africa 1-2 on the last day putting them dead last in the group. That team fell apart due to chemistry, and they're looking to start over. This team doesn't fair well against weaker opposition. If World Cup 2010 isn't enough evidence, just look at how they opened defense of their Cup in 2002. They lost 0-1 to Senegal. The talent is there for this team to win the group, but it's still unclear if they can play as a team.

Honduras are in their third World Cup ever. Four years ago they walked away with a solitary point finishing last in their group. I don't see them improving much. Ecuador will be their easiest opponent, but they're still to good for Honduras.

Key Match:

Opening day matchups of Swizerland and France, and Ecuador and Honduras will be big. Getting points on the first day is a must. Switzerland and France will be the bigger game because it'll most likely decide who wins the group. The rematch from 2010 of Switzerland and Honduras is the key match in this group. A slip up by Switzerland like 4 years ago will probably knock them out of the tournament. Will the real Switzerland please take the field?