Two nations chasing World Cup glory will do battle today in a match between Switzerland and Ecuador. The 2014 World Cup group-stage match scheduled for 12 p.m. ET will be held at Nacional Stadium in Brasilia and can be live streamed here free. A free Spanish language stream of the match can be found here. Free radio coverage can be found here. Additional TV coverage can be found on ABC and ESPN Deportes.
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Despite being one of the eight seeded teams in the World Cup, not much respect is being paid to Switzerland. The only team responsible for defeating Spain in 2010 have undergone a bit of a transition. According to head coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, that's not enough of a reason to doubt them.
"We started a transition four years ago. We have rejuvenated the group of experienced players," said Hitzfeld (via FIFA). "The team is better, more attacking, more creative with better organization than in 2010. Switzerland are well organized, capable of quickly switching from defence to attack. The players are tense. That's normal, but we have the experience to counter that."
When asked about his ambitions for the tournament, Hitzfeld added: "My dream is to get to the second round and then we can dream of going further."
Will Switzerland take a proper first step toward that goal with a win over Ecuador today? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: No player on Ecuador's lineup is more prime for a move to Europe than Enner Valencia. The 22-year-old made 23 appearances for Pachuca in his first season with Liga MX, contributing a league-best 18 goals. The totality of Valencia's game has allowed him to skillfully hold up the ball, shoot from distance and win in the air.
Switzerland's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Benaglio; Rodriguez, Schar, Djourou, Lichtsteiner; Xhaka, Inler; Stocker, Mehmedi, Shaqiri; Drmic
Ecuador's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Dominguez; Ayovi, Guagua, Erazo, Paredes; Montero, Noboa, Castillo, Valencia; Caicedo, Valencia
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored)
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