World Cup 2018 Group E
GROUP E
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
Brazil
Brazil are back after their humiliation on home soil four years ago. The Selecao are joint favourites with reigning champions Germany to lift the trophy. Reasons to be hopeful include Neymar recovering from his injury and the presence of some serious talent around him. The supporting cast includes Gabriel Jesus, Marcelo, Philippe Coutinho, Fred, Fernandinho and Roberto Firmino. Not bad? I am sure you would agree. Plus Alisson is pretty good in goal. If there is any weakness it is as ever at the back. Danny Alves misses out through injury.
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Brazil Kit 1 |
Brazil Kit 2 |
Brazil v Switzerland 17 June; Rostov-on-Don
Brazil v Costa Rica 22 June; St. Petersburg
Brazil v Serbia 27 June; Moscow
Coach
Tite
Record
Winners 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002; Runners-up 1950, 1998; Semi-Finals 1938, 1974, 1978, 2014; Quarter-finals 1954, 1986, 2006, 2010; Second Round 1982, 1990; First Round 1930, 1934, 1966.
Men to watch
Neymar, of course, backed by a midfield that can defend as well as create. Paulinho and Fernandinho can keep the game tight and allow the attacking talents of Coutinho and Willian to thrive.
Brazil could make it to the final and a chance of redemption against Germany.
How they qualified
Brazil topped the South American COMMEBOL Qualifying Group.
On the sidelines
Former Lyon star Juninho Pernambucano is now one of the nation's best pundits in the TV studio.
Analysis
Brazil Team Profile
Squad
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Cassio (Corinthians)
Defenders: Danilo (Manchester City), Fagner (Corinthians), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva, Marquinhos (both Paris St-Germain), Miranda (Inter Milan) Pedro Geromel (Gremio)
Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Paulinho (Barcelona), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Willian (Chelsea), Douglas Costa (Juventus)
Strikers: Neymar Jr (Paris St-Germain), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
Switzerland
Switzerland reached the last sixteen at Euro 2016 losing to Poland on penalties. Now ranked in the top ten teams in the world, Switzerland will be aiming to go one better in Russia. The squad has a solid base of players at European clubs including Xherdan Shaquiri, Granit Xhaka and Stephan Lichtsteiner.
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Switzerland Kit 1
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Switzerland Kit 2
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Switzerland v Brazil 17 June; Rostov-on-Don
Switzerland v Serbia 22 June; Kaliningrad
Switzerland v Costa Rica 27 June; Novgorod
Coach
Vladomir Petkovic
Record
1950, 1962, 1966, 2010 First Round; 1946, 2006, 2014 Second Round; 1934, 1938, 1954 Quarterfinals.
Men to watch
Xherdan Shaqiri was the standout player in a poor Stoke City team relegated from the Premier League.
In a tough group we predict Switzerland will battle with Serbia to escape the group. As at World Cup 2014 we think the Swiss will make it - just.
How they qualified
Switzerland came second in European Qualifying Group B behind Portugal. They came through a tight qualifier 1-0 on aggregate against Northern Ireland.
On the sidelines
Defender Johan Djourou has suggested he may pursue a career in acting after he retires from the game.
Analysis
Switzerland Team Profile
Squad
Goalkeepers: Roman Buerki (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (Leipzig), Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Antalyaspor), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Michael Lang (Basel), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Jacques-Francois Moubandje (Toulouse), Ricardo Rodriguez (Milan), Fabian Schaer (Deportivo La Coruna)
Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Udinese), Blerim Dzemaili (Bologna), Gelson Fernandes (Eintracht Frankfurt), Remo Freuler (Atalanta), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Steven Zuber (1899 Hoffenheim), Denis Zakaria (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Strikers: Josip Drmic (Borussia Monchengladbach), Breel Embolo (Schalke), Mario Gavranovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Haris Seferovic (Benfica)
Costa Rica
Costa Rica reached the Quarter Finals at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil only losing to The Netherlands on penalties. This time out in Europe the team may struggle to repeat that heady success. Real Madrid's Kaylor Navas is the custodian behind a defence that conceded only 8 goals in 10 qualifying matches in the final group stage. They defeated the USA both home and away.
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Costa Rica Kit 1 |
Costa Rica Kit 2 |
Costa Rica v Serbia 17 June; Samara
Costa Rica v Brazil 22 June; St. Petersburg
Costa Rica v Switzerland; 27 June; Novgorod
Coach
Oscar Ramirez
Record
2002, 2006 First Round; 1990 Second Round; 2014 Quarter Finals.
Men to watch
Bryan Ruiz now at Sporting in Portugal will provide the flair in the final third. Celso Borges at Deportivo de La Coruña anchors the midfield. Kaylor Navas will need to be at his best.
A tough call to get out of the group as they face two European sides and favourites Brazil.
How they qualified
Costa Rica came second behind Mexico in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
On the sidelines
Coach Zlatko Dalic has spent his most recent years managing in the Middle East in Saudia Arabia and the UAE.
Analysis
Costa Rica Team Profile
Squad
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Real Madrid), Patrick Pemberton (Liga Deportiva Alajuelense), Leonel Moreira (C.S. Herediano)
Defenders: Cristian Gamboa (Celtic), Ian Smith (Santos de Guapiles F.C.), Ronald Matarrita (New York City), Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland), Oscar Duarte (Espanyol), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Bologna), Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Acosta (Rionegro Aguilas)
Midfielders: David Guzman (Portland Timbers), Yeltsin Tejeda (FC Lausanne-Sport), Celso Borges (Deportivo de La Coruna), Randall Azofeifa (C.S. Herediano), Rodney Wallace (New York City), Bryan Ruiz (Sporting CP), Daniel Colindres (Deportivo Saprissa), Christian Bolanos (Deportivo Saprissa)
Strikers: Johan Venegas (Deportivo Saprissa), Joel Campbell (Real Betis), Marco Urena (Los Angeles FC)
Serbia
Serbia have qualified for their first World Cup finals since 2010 in South Africa. Despite winning their group in qualifying the Serbian FA prompty sacked their manager Slavoljub Muslin and replaced him with Mladen Krstajic. The reasons were understood to be an overly defensive style and a refusal to pick Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
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Serbia |
Serbia |
Serbia v Costa Rica 17 June; Samara
Serbia v Switzerland 22 June; Kaliningrad
Serbia v Brazil 27 June; Moscow
Coach
Mladen Krstajic
Record
1950, 1982, 2006, 2010 First Round; 1974, 1998 Second Round; 1954, 1958, 1990 Quarterfinals; 1962 Semifinals; 1930 4th Place.
Men to watch
Midfield duo of Nemanja Matic of Manchester United and Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
On paper and if the squad can heal its internal wounds caused by the sacking of Muslin and the captaincy being taken from Branislav Ivanovic, Serbia should get out of the group. However, they failed to do so in 2010, finishing bottom behind Germany, Ghana and Australia. A similar fate could happen here though they will be well supported by large numbers of traveling fans and their Russian "brothers."
How they qualified
Serbia finished top of European Qualifying Group D.
On the sidelines
Former Werder Bremen and Schalke defender and now national coach Mladen Krstajic won a total of 59 caps for his country across a nine year period.
Analysis
Serbia Team Profile
Squad
Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Partizan Belgrade), Predrag Rajkovic (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Marko Dmitrovic (Eibar)
Defenders: Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Branislav Ivanovic (Zenit St Petersburg), Dusko Tosic (Guangzhou R&F), Antonio Rukavina (Villarreal), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Milan Rodic (Red Star Belgrade), Uros Spajic (Krasnodar), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina)
Midfielders: Nemanja Matic (Manchester United), Luka Milivojevic (Crystal Palace), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio), Marko Grujic (Liverpool), Adem Ljajic (Torino), Dusan Tadic (Southampton), Filip Kostic (Hamburg), Andrija Zivkovic (Benfica), Nemanja Radonjic (Red Star Belgrade)
Strikers: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle United), Aleksandar Prijovic (PAOK Salonika), Luka Jovic (Benfica)