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A young, mobile and fearsome Switzerland squad go up against the slick South Americans from Ecuador in Group D’s first match of the World Cup. Join us for live scores and updates from 2:00am AEST.
With France and Honduras taking the other two spots in Group D, the three points in this match are vital for progression, and Switzerland are in prime position to take them.
Somewhat surprisingly, Switzerland sit ranked sixth in the world in front of Uruguay (7), Italy (9), England (10) and Holland (14).
They’ve had a perfect run of form heading into the competition, with just one defeat in their past eighteen matches, and are favourites in Group E, along with France, to progress to the knockout phase.
However, World Cup opening matches scarcely pan out as predicted, as Costa Rica demonstrated against Uruguay yesterday and Switzerland demonstrated against Spain in 2010.
No team at the World Cup should be overlooked, and the Ecuadorians have Manchester United’s slippery winger Valencia leading the attack.
A counterattack will most likely be their weapon against Switzerland, with speed their most valuable asset. Ecuador’s defence will have to be much more organised than it has been of late, as they’ve not kept a clean sheet in their past five matches.
Switzerland will look to dominate possession with their extremely strong midfield. Shaqiri of Bayern Munich, Inler, Behrami and Dzmaili of Napoli, and Xhaka of Borussia Monchengladbach are all candidates for starting positions. If playing well, will be hard to stop.
Prediction
Switzerland look too strong for Ecuador and will win by 2 goals or more, but not without Ecuador getting one of their own.
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