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Friday June 20th - 1:00PM | ||
| vs | FRANCE | ||
| FIFA RANKING 8 | FIFA RANKING 34 | ||
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| HOW THEY QUALIFIED |
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| SWITZERLAND Switzerland secured their place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ on the penultimate qualifying matchday. However, it was far from plain sailing for Die Eidgenossen, who faced several setbacks along the way. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld’s ensemble raced to the group summit following opening victories over Slovenia and Albania, but dropped points for the first time in their next qualifying games. Hitzfeld's charges recorded a 1-1 draw with Norway and a 2-0 victory over Iceland before chalking up a draw and a win against Cyprus.Nerves got the better of Switzerland in their next game against Iceland, when they ended up drawing 4-4 after leading 4-1. There were no further slip-ups in their final outings though, with a 2-0 triumph over Norway all but ensuring their qualification for a third consecutive World Cup, before a 2-1 win over Albania sealed Switzerland’s Brazil 2014 ticket with a game to spare. FRANCE Drawn into a group that contained not only world and European champions Spain but just five teams overall, France had precious little margin for error when their campaign kicked off. In the end, they made just one slip, losing at home to La Roja, but it was a defeat that cost them first place in the section. Didier Deschamps' side rarely sparkled during the group phase except for a fine performance on Spanish soil, where their efforts were finally rewarded with a last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Ultimately they were destined for the play-offs, as they had been ahead of South Africa 2010, and their chances of reaching Brazil took a battering in Kiev, where Ukraine's superior desire and team spirit earned them a 2-0 advantage at the halfway stage in the tie. That left Les Bleus requiring a display of perfection in the second leg, but, with the Stade de France crowd in feverish mood, the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winners turned things around with a 3-0 win that could prove a turning point for a side containing a number of exciting fresh talents. Mamadou Sakho, Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba are the standard-bearers of the new generation, while the gifted youngsters who led France to FIFA U-20 World Cup glory in 2013 stand waiting in the wings. |
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RECENT RESULTS |
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| SWITZERLAND | FRANCE | ||
| 15/10/13 - SWITZERLAND 1-0 SLOVENIA 11/10/13 - ALBANIA 1-2 SWITZERLAND 10/09/13 - NORWAY 0-2 SWITZERLAND |
19/11/13 - FRANCE 3-0 UKRAINE 15/11/13 - UKRAINE 0-2 FRANCE 15/10/13 - FRANCE 3-0 FINLAND |
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| PLAYERS TO WATCH | |||
| SWITZERLAND There is undoubted quality throughout the side, starting with keeper Diego Benaglio, a German championship winner in 2009 with VfL Wolfsburg. The combination of experienced players such as Tranquillo Barnetta, Gokhan Inler and Philippe Senderos, with highly-talented youngsters Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabian Schar, Granit Xhaka and Valentin Stocker, has borne fruit and the side are more than capable of making their mark at Brazil 2014. |
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| FRANCE France boast solidity and strength in depth at the back, with a pair of top-drawer goalkeepers in Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda and a rearguard bolstered by the European experience of Eric Abidal, Laurent Koscielny and Raphael Varane. Further forward, Franck Ribery can produce moments of magic, while Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud both possess a keen eye for goal. |
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