All four sides in Group E have a chance of qualifying for the second round of the Word Cup as we turn our attention to the final group games.
Table toppers France take on second place Ecuador, while third place Switzerland take on Honduras in what is set to be an exciting final round of fixtures, with a variety of scenarios determining who will qualify.
Rampant leaders France will be confident of qualifying from the group and need to avoid defeat to top the group while challengers Ecuador will be hoping that they can cause an upset by beating the French to reach the second round for only the second time in their history.
France lead the group with six points, followed by Ecuador and Switzerland on three points. Honduras are bottom with no points after two defeats. A win or draw for France is likely to see them avoid Argentina in their first knockout round match.
It has been a significant change in fortune for the French who endured a turbulent tournament four years ago in South Africa recording a comfortable 3-0 victory over Honduras and the rampant 5-2 defeat of Switzerland. It would require a significant turn around for the French to qualify in second thanks to the European’s much superior goal difference.
Oliver Giroud was dropped for Les Bleus first match against Honduras but returned in scoring fashion against the Swiss; he should be expected retain his place against Ecuador. Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba may also be given a recall after almost being sent off in the first game. Coach Didier Deschamps is likely to introduce several fringe players as he looks to rest his squad ahead of the second round. Loic Remy and Laurent Koscielny will be hopeful of a start while Yohan Cabaye will be absent through suspension.
Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rueda is likely to name an unchanged side to face France with no new injury or suspension concerns following the 2-1 victory over Honduras. Enner Valencia will lead the forward line again with himself and opponent Karim Benzema among the tournament’s top scorers. Rueda’s side will be hopeful of getting a result against the French with their opponents having one eye on the second round.
With an outside chance of qualifying for the second round, Honduras need results to go their way to have any chance of qualification from Group E. La H require France to defeat Ecuador while the Central Americans need to beat the Swiss by three clear goals.
Despite suffering two defeats in their previous matches, Honduras go into this fixture on a high following the side’s first World Cup goal for 32 years thanks to a first half Carlo Costly effort against Ecuador.
“I was so happy when I scored that goal, because 32 years is a long time and a difficult barrier to overcome,” Costly, 31, told the FIFA website. “That myth, that curse which has been hanging over us for so long, has been laid to rest now.”
Wilson Palacios should return after missing that game through suspension and will be fresh and ready to make an impact in the final group game.
Switzerland could advance with a draw if France beat Ecuador. However, the Swiss will have had their confidence dented after being overrun 5-2 by Les Bleus in their last fixture. They face a similar situation to four years ago where Honduras and Switzerland drew 0-0 and both sides missed out on a place in the last sixteen.
Steve von Bergen will miss the remainder of the tournament with after fracturing a bone in his face. Philippe Senderos is likely to be fielded in his place. Xherdan Shaqiri will be required to be on top form with the Swiss’ star performer yet to live up to his expectations at the tournament.
Napoli midfielder Blerim Dzemaili said Switzerland will be taking nothing for granted when they face the Central Americans in steamy Manaus.
“Everyone can nurture big dreams, but first we have to do a little homework and that is to beat Honduras,” said the 28-year-old told reporters on Monday. “We have seen that the big teams just relying on individuals are quickly eliminated, which little Switzerland can’t afford. We have to give our all together, like we did against France, but we also had some bad luck after they scored their early goals.”
Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld will be hopeful his side can live up to their expectation of 6th place in the FIFA rankings and beat tournament minnows Honduras on Wednesday. Although, they will need any defensive frailties to be resolved, otherwise it could be an untimely and unexpected exit for a side with growing expectations.
In Group E, there is all to play for.
