Fantasy World Cup Preview Group E

Fantasy World Cup Preview Group E

GROUP E: SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, HONDURAS, ECUADOR
Our World Cup previews continue at a pace and we would like to extend a very warm welcome and thank you to Bryan Munich as he gives us his take on Group E, the teams involved, which players you should pick and who is likely to progress.

Some of you will have registered already but if not the site that we are using for this years game is Mcdonalds Fantasy World Cup, you can register here. You can register now and you can begin to pick your squad from June 8th ahead of the big kick-off on June 12th. We will publish the FF247 league codes as soon as the league option is open on there. In the meantime we encourage you to plan ahead and as such here’s Group E for you all…

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Switzerland
Overview
For Switzerland’s world ranking, FIFA recently took the controversial step of integrating chocolate and watch export trade, giving the Rossocrociati an inflated football ranking of 8th. The precedent was set in 2012 when England owed their 3rd position zenith entirely to the sudden rise in global popularity of One Direction (cue hate mail from Niall’s Irish fans). However, their unbeaten performance in qualifying saw them hold off some notable European powerhouses in the guise of Iceland, Slovenia, Norway, Cyprus and Albania. Ok so not the toughest group, but to be fair they could only dispatch the teams put in front of them, and let’s not forget last August’s impressive 1-0 friendly defeat of Brazil, two places above them. Hold on… two places above them? What!? That makes a mockery of the ranking system.

Fantasy player perspective
It should come as no surprise when the 8th best team in the world are full to the brim with world class players. So it should come as a surprise that Switzerland isn’t. They do have a seriously talented select few, however. None more so than diminutive talisman Xherdan Shaqiri. Manager Ottmar Hitzfeld may be worried about his rustiness though, after a stop-start campaign with Bayern Munich. One could always turn to fellow Scrabble-buster Granit Xhaka’s impressive distribution and eye for goal. In a group with Honduras and Ecuador, veteran keeper Diego Benaglio and attacking right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner are regulars who could churn out some decent output during the group phase. Their comical 4-4 draw with Iceland aside, they only conceded 2 goals in the other 9 qualifying games. Oh, and expect poacher Josip Drmic to be among the goals.

Fixtures
Ecuador (15/6) – This may be the game to bring Benaglio and Lichtsteiner into the fray. There isn’t much to choose between the two countries, and could well be a stalemate.
France (20/6) – France could well be flying high if their opening game goes to plan. The Swiss will huff and puff and try to blow la maison down but, with conditions likely to affect both European teams equally, it would seem prudent to avoid Swiss personnel for this clash.
Honduras (25/6) – Whether it be a game they need to win, or whether they’re already out, Shaqiri will be keen to vindicate interest from the likes of Liverpool with a good performance. The odds of a shut-out are high, so again their defenders are worth consideration. In the event that Switzerland need nothing from the game (unlikely, but…) Hitzfeld could rest his star turns. Tread carefully.

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France
Overview
Few teams have fallen from grace as markedly as Les Bleus. Since consecutively clinching the World Cup (’98) and Euros (’00) they’ve endured a tumultuous decade or so. Four years ago they were revolting (let me finish) against the establishment in an ‘all for one and one for all’ strike. Musketeers meets Rage against the Machine… “Sacre bleu, I won’t do what you tell me”, one might have heard. But from insurgence to resurgence, this French team are at long last to be taken seriously again. Gaffer Didier Deschamps saw fit to announce his final 23 man squad well ahead of FIFA’s June deadline, omitting Man City’s in-form maestro Samir Nasri while left-back Gael Clichy was also left back. What had Etihad’s dudes done for Didi to do what he did?

Fantasy player perspective
If France are to do well in Brazil, they’ll need Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema to step up. Though less prolific for France (16 goals in 80 games) than Bayern (63 in 178), Ribery’s qualities still make him an irresistible choice. Defensively, we all know what a fantasy football asset Patrice Evra is, and is there a better keeper going to the World Cup than Hugo Lloris? Along with Laurent Koscielny, Mamadou Sakho and Mathieu Debuchy, Deschamps may quite feasibly start with an all Premier League back five. From the latter three, Koscielny appeals the most.

Fixtures
There’s no reason to think that France won’t come out of this group with a 100% record, though neither does it seem too likely that they’ll enjoy any landslide victories.
Honduras (15/6) – Their opener seems the likeliest to bring them a clean sheet. These two have never met before, but one would expect the French to coast to a fairly comfortable win. Select at will.
Switzerland (20/6) – This could be their banana skin and least likely to yield many offensive points. Nonetheless, if Ribery can outshine the likes of Shaqiri in midfield, it may still yet be fruitful.
Ecuador (25/6) – This is trickier than may at first appear. If it’s a dead rubber, France could well field an experimental line-up, which would leave the door ajar for a shock result. A weakened France team should still be enough to overpower Ecuador, but be wary of star fantasy players missing out. If France do need something from this game? Different story.

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Honduras
Overview
After qualifying for their second consecutive World Cup on the back of illuminating Gold Cup and Olympic performances, Honduras are a team riding the feel good factor. CONCACAF wins against a rapidly improving USA team, and Mexico at the Azteca, proved they’re well-equipped to take scalps from those further up the FIFA pyramid. Their manager particularly stands out as a focal point for two reasons. Firstly, he used to manage Group E opponents Ecuador. Secondly, his name is Luis Suarez.

Fantasy player perspective
Those of an MLS Fantasy persuasion will recognise Houston’s creative midfield spark Boniek Garcia (pictured), and San Jose’s defensive warrior Victor Bernardez. Both are among the best players in MLS, and very viable options should you need to fill your squad out with players from a lesser-fancied nation. Not so feared in MLS, New England Revs’ Jerry Bengtson is nevertheless revered by Honduran fans for his ratio of almost 1 every 2 games. Hull Tigers’ centre-back Maynor Figueroa brings Premier League followers a more familiar face to the table.

Fixtures
France (15/6)- It’s almost guaranteed that the Hondurans will put up a spirited display in their first match, but this French team are motivated and will want to hit the ground running. It’s not the best time to bring in Honduran players.
Ecuador (20/6) – This is the biggest coin toss of the lot. With a head-to-head record of W3 D8 L3, their most recent duel finished in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Expect another entertaining, open game as both teams go for what will be their best chance of a group win. This may be a good time to bring in the likes of Garcia and Bengston.
Switzerland (25/6) – In their one and only encounter, Honduras met the Swiss four years ago in South Africa. A drab 0-0 indicates that this might not be one for the neutrals. Stay aware of group E’s dynamic. Should circumstances dictate that the Swiss need 3 points to qualify, the landscape may shift unfavourably for the Hondurans.

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Ecuador
Overview
Amazonian legend has it that there lives a dwarf-like farmer (nope, neither Shaqiri nor Ribery) called ‘El Chullachaqui’. He spends his free time toying with humans and luring them deep into the jungle until they are lost forever. Speculation persists that he was consulted by Sepp Blatter to devise the epic CONMEBOL qualification process. Given the depth in quality of South American football, any team that graduates from the top 4 warrants respect. Unfortunately, their away form doesn’t. Unbeaten at home, they failed to take a single victory away from the Olimpico Atahualpa Stadium. This raises credible doubts that they can even capitalise on playing in their own continent. That being said, it would be dis-compassionate not to acknowledge the impact that the tragic loss of Christian Benitez must have had, as the Ecuadorians faded barely edging Uruguay out on goal difference. Antonio Valencia has a tattoo of ‘Chucho’s name as a touching tribute.

Fantasy player perspective
The aforementioned Antonio Valencia’s poor form at Man Utd was also echoed at international level (no goals, no assists!) but surely the newly appointed captain will raise his game for the world stage. Both he and fellow flanker Jefferson Montero offer width in a team with counter-attacking instincts. Striker Felipe Caicedo may profit from such play, and is usually the penalty taker.

Fixtures
Switzerland (15/6) – Despite their poor away form in qualifying, the conditions will surely better suit the Ecuadorians. Having said that Switzerland’s defence should hold firm and a low scoring affair seems likely. Nothing too appealing here.
Honduras (20/6) – As mentioned in the Honduras low-down, this could turn out to be the most entertaining game of the group. Valencia and Caidedo stand out as attractive options. Both managers used to lead each other’s teams so goodness knows what will happen.
France – (25/6) Regardless of the importance of this game by the end, one would imagine that Suarez won’t rotate too heavily. His team won’t want to finish bottom, and if they’re still in contention this could be a tense affair. In all honestly though, it’s hard to make a case for selecting any Ecuador players for this one.

Overall
From a fantasy perspective, both France’s attacking flair and Switzerland’s miserly defensive record in qualifying deserve the most attention. Ecuador and Honduras will push the Swiss hard for that second spot and their creative players will no doubt catch the eye. The Swiss don’t score many goals, so their biggest Achilles may be too many draws allowing one of the other two to sneak through.

Thanks for reading Fantasy World Cup Preview Group E this article was written by Bryan Munich