France's national soccer team attend a training session at the Botafogo soccer club's Santa Cruz stadium in Ribeirao Preto
France's national soccer team attend a training session at the Botafogo soccer club's Santa Cruz stadium in Ribeirao Preto, 336 km (208 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo, June 10, 2014. From L to R: Patrice Evra, Karim Benzema, Mathieu Valbuena, Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

Teams Qualified: France (1) & Switzerland (2)

Here is the fifth instalment of the "Analysis & Predictions" series of the FIFA World Cup 2014. There are only 9 days before the gala event takes place. Today we are going to analyse Group E and showcase our predictions for the group. Let's look at the possibilities of Group E.

Teams in the group

Switzerland, Ecuador, France & Honduras are in Group E. The European biggies will play against their American counterparts. Honduras, the Central American footballing nation, has qualified thrice while they had their earlier campaigns in 1982 and 2010. Ecuador, the South American team, has also qualified thrice. They earlier qualified in 2002 and 2006. France has always been one of the most prestigious teams in the world cup. It won in 1998 and finished second in 2006. It reached the semi-finals in 1958, 1982 and 1986. Switzerland's best performance in a world cup came in 1954 when it reached the quarter-finals. However, it is the highest ranked (6th) team in the group at the moment.

Morale of the teams

Switzerland emphatically qualified for the world cup, finishing at the top of the European table. They were far ahead of the second team on the table, Iceland. Expect an energetic Swiss team making their mark in the group stages. France gave tough competition to Spain, the champions of Europe and the world, in the qualifying rounds. With some of the world's biggest names in the team, France looks strong. Ecuador and Honduras are expected to make impressions with their muscular football. However, both these teams have struggled in the recent past.

Players on the spotlight

Switzerland: Valon Behrami, Granit Hxaka and Xherdan Shaquiri

France: Olivier Giroud, Patrice Evra, and Karim Benzema

Ecuador: Antonia Valencia and Walter Ayovi

Honduras: Roger Espinoza and Wilson Palacios

Turning Point

The match between Switzerland and France will be a turning point. This match will decide which team is going to finish second. No team will want to face Argentina in the next round as the South American team is most likely to finish at the top in Group F. That is why finishing on top will be crucial for this group. Expect Ribery to make a difference in the match. France will win 3-1.

Predictions

France will win all three matches. Even though many may not have high hopes for the team, France is going to surprise many. Switzerland will finish second in the group. It will be a fight between Ecuador and Honduras to determine who will finish in the third position. My bet is Ecuador which will vigorously beat Honduras.

Group A - Analysis & Predictions

Group B - Analysis & Predictions

Group C - Analysis & Predictions

Group D - Analysis & Predictions

Group F - Analysis & Predictions

Group G - Analysis & Predictions

Group H - Analysis & Predictions

What's your prediction? Use the comment section to tell us about it.

Reference: FIFA

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au