World Cup Preview: Group E

By Vishnu Nagaraj

For Group A, click here.

For Group B, click here.

For Group C, click here.

For Group D, click here.

Group E:

Group E consists of France, Switzerland, Ecuador, and Honduras. In my opinion this is the weakest among all of the groups. The clear-cut favorite to win this group is France. They possess a complete team that can give many of the other favorites a run for their money. France is led by Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. These two along with a physically powerful midfield and defense have the opportunity to help France go far in this tournament. One of the most notible omissions from any of the world cup squads was French midfielder Samir Nasri. A regular starter and a key figure in his club team Manchester City’s run to the Premier League title. Nasri and French manager Didier Deschamps do not see eye to eye and this had to be the reason for Nasri’s omission. Ecuador and Switzerland will be battling to advance from this group to the knockout rounds. I believe that both teams are fairly equal on a talent perspective and this could provide for an interesting encounter when these two sides meet. Lastly, we have Honduras who are one of the weaker teams in the tournament. Lack of quality when it comes to scoring goals and preventing the opposition from scoring will lead to the Honduran downfall which could see them fail to win a single game.

Karim Benzema hopes to make an impact at this year’s World Cup (Via Reuters)

Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.