Following their 3-0 romp against Honduras, France delivered another masterful blowout when Didier Deschamps’ team defeated Switzerland, 5-2. Without Frank Ribery, whom we said to be the leader of the team in Group E preview, can Le Bleus end their group stage campaign with another win, or will Ecuador match them fire-for-fire and come away with an upset victory?
Check out our complete World Cup 2014 coverage–including betting previews for every single game–here, and read on for everything you need to know about Ecuador vs. France.
[sc:Soccer ]Ecuador vs. France, World Cup 2014, Group Stage Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When: June 24, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Ecuador +297 at France -129, tie +316; total 2.5 – view all World Cup lines
What’s at stake
France is virtually assured of the top position in Group E, but a win against Ecuador (a sweep if so) would help to clear the taste from their mouths after the team couldn’t win a match amidst their collapse at the 2014 World Cup. Meanwhile, La Tri, despite their big win against Honduras, will likely need another win against the French if they hope to advance to the Round of 16.
Betting on Ecuador
Enner Valencia is the man of the moment for Ecuador. A one-man scoring machine, Valencia has scored all three goals of La Tri in the tournament, including two in their win over Honduras. Through Valencia’s exploits, Ecuador was able to keep their chances of reaching the next round alive.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Valencia’s performance was as heroic as it was dramatic. His first goal came just three minutes after Honduras scored the first of the match. Then the twenty-four year old midfielder found the back of the net again in the second half, which eventually became the game-winning goal for Ecuador.
Valencia’s prowess has Ecuador in almost equal footing with France when it comes to scoring. If only the other Valencia – Antonio – could break out of his slump, then La Tri will be twice as dangerous on the attack.
Perhaps more concerning than the misfiring Antonio, however, will be the play of the Ecuadorian defenders. They are going up against a French team that has already scored eight goals in two matches. Coach Reinaldo Rueda must develop an excellent game plan on how to contain the French, without their offense compensating too much.
Betting on France
If anything, Franck Ribery’s absence has only made Karim Benzema’s star shine brighter. Benzema personified the unforgiving approach of France on the attack by scoring his third goal of the tournament in an absolute dismantling of Switzerland, whom many thought would give Les Bleus the toughest challenge in the group.
What’s even scarier for their next opponent, Ecuador, is that France is stacked to the gills on offense, even if one takes away Benzema. The amount of firepower coach Didier Deschamps under his wing is overwhelming, and it was on full display in both of their wins.
But as infallible as the Frenchmen’s offense has been thus far, their defense on the other hand took a gut shot when defender Mamadou Sakho went out with an apparent injury in the match against the Swiss.
Together with Raphael Varane, the two young defenders made it especially hard for the Swiss to sustain their attacks. If Sakho is to miss any time, expect Deschamps to use Laurent Koscielny as a replacement.
Deschamps must also keep his squad’s concentration high at all times. Les Bleus showed a tendency to relax when they’re up, making them vulnerable from comeback attempts by opposing teams. Case in point: they allowed two goals to Switzerland after going up 5-0.
Writer’s Prediction
This is going to be a high-scoring affair with France (-129) completing a sweep of Group E. To get into the action, create a betting account now and bet everything from the number of goals scored to the winner of this particular game.
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