Switzerland vs Ecuador - 5PM (ITV/RTE)

Nuri Sahin

The true dark horses of the World Cup for me, since the likes of Belgium, Colombia and to a lesser extent Chile have been hyped up in the last six months to a year or more.

In the likes of Sommer (though Benalgio will start), Shaqiri (potential Player of the Tourney), Xhaka, Schar, Stocker, Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer who also plies his football trade with Wolfsburg, one Ridcardo Rodriguez and Drmic (potential Top Goalscorer), that is a very nice core of young players to call upon. Then there is Inler, who is a classy player in the middle of the park. Juventus RB Lichtsteiner and Seferhovic from Sociedad who is capable and will offer a different option to Drmic.

Ecuador, Valencia aside I know little about personnel wise, so I won't dare comment on them :pac:

Prediction: Switzerland 2-0 Ecuador

Hitzfield will have the Swiss set up well as ever, and with the sprinkling of quality littered throughout, they should have enough in attack to score at least onece.

con___manx1

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

The true dark horses of the World Cup for me, since the likes of Belgium, Colombia and to a lesser extent Chile have been hyped up in the last six months to a year or more.

In the likes of Sommer (though Benalgio will start), Shaqiri (potential Player of the Tourney), Xhaka, Schar, Stocker, Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer who also plies his football trade with Wolfsburg, one Ridcardo Rodriguez and Drmic (potential Top Goalscorer), that is a very nice core of young players to call upon. Then there is Inler, who is a classy player in the middle of the park. Juventus RB Lichtsteiner and Seferhovic from Sociedad who is capable and will offer a different option to Drmic.

Ecuador, Valencia aside I know little about personnel wise, so I won't dare comment on them :pac:

Prediction: Switzerland 2-0 Ecuador

Hitzfield will have the Swiss set up well as ever, and with the sprinkling of quality littered throughout, they should have enough in attack to score at least onece.

i watched Ecuador and England last week and they are a pretty decent side. one major factor in this game will be the conditions and they will definitely suit Ecuador more.

speedboatchase

Difficult for me to get too excited about this one. Switzerland would be a lot more interesting if Hitzfeld wasn't still the manager.

Washington Irving

speedboatchase wrote: »

Switzerland would be a lot more interesting if Hitzfeld wasn't still the manager.

In all likelihood, they'd also be a much poorer side.

DildoFaggins

It's a shame Frei doesn't play anymore could have very useful,btw anyone know who Switzerlands backup striker is? is he any good?

murpho999

Why advertise it as on ITV when it's also on RTE?

Nuri Sahin

murpho999 wrote: »

Why advertise it as on ITV when it's also on RTE?

Well, considering I'm in the US and oddschecker.com have only ITV listed down..

eagle eye

speedboatchase wrote: »

Difficult for me to get too excited about this one. Switzerland would be a lot more interesting if Hitzfeld wasn't still the manager.

Yeah its difficult to win with a coach who has only won the Champion's league with two different clubs and won multiple Bundesliga titles.

GoldFour4

Gonna be difficult to split myself between this and the hurling. Should only conflict for about 30mins though fingers crossed. Don't know much about either of these teams but that's the beauty of the world cup I guess!

GreNoLi

Expecting Ecuador to have too much pep for the Swiss.

mike65

Looking forward to this - a bunch of potential summer transfer targets on show for "Swatcherland"

Are Switzerland now a hipster team?

keith16

Just watching the highlights of the Japan / Ivory Coast game here.

Nice to see the Ivorian subs bench applauding the quality of Japan's goal.

wonga77

Conditions will suit Ecuador but the Swiss will be typically hard to break down, low scoring game coming up i think

eagle eye

DildoFaggins wrote: »

It's a shame Frei doesn't play anymore could have very useful,btw anyone know who Switzerlands backup striker is? is he any good?

Seferovic is the backup to Drmic and he is pretty decent. He is only breaking through now at Sociedad, he is 22 years old. You would predict a long successful international career for him only for the fact that the guy he is backing up is only 21.

Hitzfeld has done a great job in developing a young side and getting rid of the older brigade at the right time.

mike65

EKUADOR XI (v Swiss): Dominguez, Guagua, Erazo, Paredes, Noboa, Montero, W. Ayovi, Gruezo, A. Valencia, E. Valencia, Caicedo


SWISS XI (v Ekuador): Benaglio, Rodriguez, Schaer, Djourou, Lichsteiner, Xhaka, Inler, Stoker, Mehmedi, Shaqiri, Drmic

Fescue

mike65 wrote: »

Looking forward to this - a bunch of potential summer transfer targets on show for "Swatcherland"

Are Switzerland now a hipster team?

They were briefly. I think Columbia are now the team for the more discerning hipster.

eagle eye

mike65 wrote: »

Looking forward to this - a bunch of potential summer transfer targets on show for "Swatcherland"

Are Switzerland now a hipster team?

Hardly, I'd imagine the hipster teams in this World Cup are the ones with very few players in European leagues like Colombia, Equador, Iran etc.

TheRedDevil10

Is Barnetta injured ?

Neeson

Fair play to brian Kerr. He travelled over 1600km since 10pm last night to meet up with Jon Kenny in Brasilia to commentate on this match.

Diabhal Beag

Hoping for a fantastic game of hurling.

murpho999

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Hoping for a fantastic game of hurling.

Enjoy, the rest of the world is watcing the World Cup.

LuckyLloyd

I think this could be the first truly dour game of the world cup tbh.

bohsboy

Lot of empty seats.

murpho999

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I think this could be the first truly dour game of the world cup tbh.

Tend to agree, don't have any memories of enjoying watching Switzerland before, but you never know.

DildoFaggins

Think Barnettas on the bench he's in the squad though.

DildoFaggins

murpho999 wrote: »

Tend to agree, don't have any memories of enjoying watching Switzerland before, but you never know.

Ukraine - Switzerland 2006 anyone:pac:

Diabhal Beag

murpho999 wrote: »

Enjoy, the rest of the world is watcing the World Cup.

A Clare man I see.

murpho999

Crowd also expecting a dour match as they have already started a Mexican wave.

Turtyturd

Shaquri's bulked up a lot.

Diabhal Beag

These are the longest minutes of my life.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

Brian Kerr is like an encyclopedia for foreign football, superb co-commentator

murpho999

Great stuff, a goal is just what this game needed.

Washington Irving

1-0 Ecuador. Free header from a free kick.

GLaDOS

Woeful defending

LightningBlue

Good cross for the goal.
Absolutely rubbish defending though. Nobody attacked the ball.

Agent Coulson

I am loving this World Cup.

the incredible pudding

That was pathetic defending. On the other side it was a nice delivery.

Diabhal Beag

The goal-less game has once again been postponed.

murpho999

ScienceNerd wrote: »

Woeful defending

LightningBlue wrote: »

Good cross for the goal.
Absolutely rubbish defending though. Nobody attacked the ball.

I have never seen a goal in any game where people have said that the defending was good.

Pudsy33

Defending was awful

Turtyturd

Great free kick....shocking amount of empty seats here.

GreNoLi

Should 'liven' irrup' as Kerr might say.

Professional Griefer

Yeaaaa!!

Oat23

Can't believe we paid €2.5m for Djourou -_-

Jelle1880

So much for the Swiss' great defence, that was some horrible defending.

Deserved for Ecuador, they've been the better side so far. What a cross though.

McDermotX

IRISHSPORTSGUY wrote: »

Brian Kerr is like an encyclopedia for foreign football, superb co-commentator

Mostly waffle. Names wrong half the time.

murpho999

McDermotX wrote: »

Mostly waffle. Names wrong half the time.

At least he's trying to bring some research into it.

Many co-commentators just say what you have seen yourself.

Also, Ray Houghton is master of saying what a player shouldn't have done.

Lightbulb Sun

Missed the national anthems so I'm providing my own.

Turtyturd

McDermotX wrote: »

Mostly waffle. Names wrong half the time.

That's because he throws a 'bleedin' into the middle of them.

'Shableedinquri'

Washington Irving

murpho999 wrote: »

I have never seen a goal in any game where people have said that the defending was good.

No, but sometimes the attack is so good there's nothing the defence can do, other times the defending is so poor it warrants comment. Crazy stuff.

Jelle1880

Clark Carlisle, what an idiot.

"I saw a lot of Jackson Martinez in the Europa League this year and Ecuador have that good a squad he can't even get into the starting line up"

He's Colombian.