Run With Us, We've Got Everything You Need

Salutations!

With just 11 days to go until the start of the World Cup, let's have a look at another of the groups. Which team are potential winners? Who will probably get out of the group but not get much further? Who's going home early? Let's have a look at Group E

France: Rare Harmony
When one thinks of France at tournaments, one thinks of talented yet combustible, enigmatic bunches of players- witness their shambolic campaign in South Africa in 2010, and the mutinous atmosphere that underpinned many previous tournaments, where senior players effectively ran the show in the absence of a strong manager. The significantly younger crew that Didier Deschamps is taking to Brazil has all the talent of their predecessors and then some, but are a far more harmonious, well-balanced bunch. Qualifying for the tournament may not have gone smoothly, yet they demonstrated their mental fortitude by overturning a 2-0 deficit to Ukraine in their play-off. They'll play 4-3-3, with an exciting blend of youth and experience throughout. Hugo Lloris will captain the team in goal- the Spurs keeper is one of the finest in Europe, and one of the few from his club to emerge with any credit from a fairly shambolic season. Patrice Evra has served his time over his role in 2010 and retains his place at left-back- PSG's Lucas Digne travels to Brazil as his deputy, and should eventually succeed him. Central defence should see Mamadou Sakho, 2 goal hero of that play-off victory, paired with Real Madrid's excellent youngster Raphael Varane, with Mathieu Debuchy should get the nod over Bacary Sagna. The midfield is genuinely excellent and one of the finest at the World Cup, featuring PSG team-mates Blaise Matuidi and Yohan Cabaye alongside the outstanding young powerhouse Paul Pogba (yeah, Mr Ferguson, he actually is as good as he thinks he is)- Matuidi will provide the defensive screening to allow Cabaye to provide the creativity and clever probing and Pogba the power and thrust. The front 3 aren't bad, either- Karim Benzema has hit a purple patch of form at just the right time (with Olivier Giroud as a more than capable backup option), with Franck Ribery providing service from one flank, and the diminutive genius Mathieu Valbuena set to get the nod on the other (Real Sociedad's Antoine Griezmann is an exciting wildcard option off the bench). Providing they get the job done and top the group, a favourable last-16 tie should be awaiting them, ahead of a potential quarter-final with Germany.

The Rest: Neat, Tidy, Cosmopolitan and Goalless
Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras make up the rest of Group E. Their official ranking of 7th is about as credible as, well, most things FIFA have their pawprints on these days, but the Swiss should still progress from the group. They're a decent side with the exciting generation who got to the final of the 2011 European Under 21 Championship, among them that tournament's star player Xherdan Shaqiri, Admir Mehmedi, Granit Xhaka and Yann Sommer (plus 3 of the 7 standby players), starting to break through at full international level, plus a number of good-but-not-quite-world-class players who are regulars in Europe's top leagues. The legendary Ottmar Hitzfeld, for whom retirement beckons after the tournament, will lead this cosmopolitan crew (many of the players, Shaqiri, Xhaka and Napoli's Gokhan Inler among them, have dual citizenship) to Brazil. Shaqiri struggled for regular game time at Bayern Munchen this season, but he remains a key player for the Swiss, and will probably start on the right of a 4-2-3-1 system, and look to come inside on his left foot. The group itself is fairly kind on Switzerland, and qualification is to be expected. What's less kind, however, is that they're likely to face Argentina in round 2.

Having not appeared at a single World Cup before 2002, Ecuador have now qualified for 3 of the last 4 World Cups, reaching the 2nd round in 2006. Matching that this time round, however, could well be beyond them. Their record during qualifying makes for interesting reading- unbeaten at home, yet not a single victory away (they play home qualifiers at altitude)- they also suffered the tragic loss of key frontman Christian Benitez. They'll probably be better equipped to deal with the oppressive heat the teams will face in Brazil (they play Switzerland at 1pm local time on June 15th, when conditions are supposedly the toughest), but it's difficult to see them having enough firepower in Benitez's absence to make real progress.

Honduras are very much the outsiders of the group, and indeed one of the weakest teams at the entire tournament. There are few familiar faces in the squad (or at least few that will be familiar to anyone that doesn't follow Wigan Athletic), and they have struggled for goals (only managing 13 in 10 Central American qualifying games). There are some survivor from their 2010 World Cup campaign (where they managed a goalless draw with Switzerland after defeats to Chile and Spain), but it would be a major shock if they were to pose any threat to France and Switzerland.

Here's a few Group E-based punts for y'all to look at:

France to reach the quarter finals: best price 11/10 with Boylesports
Straight forecast: France-Switzerland-Ecuador-Honduras best price 2/1 with Bwin
Honduras v Ecuador Under 2.5 goals best price 3/4 with Bet Victor



BN BISCUITS ARE BACK!



86 STICKERS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE WORLD CUP STICKER BOOK