With a host of young talent, Switzerland head into the World Cup with a lot to look forward to.

It will be their third consecutive World Cup and 10h in total. They have reached the last eight on three occasions, although the last time they did was back in 1954 when they were the hosts.

In a relatively easy group, the pressure is on them to progress out of the group stage, which may be a positive thing considering that in qualifying they showed that they have the ability to slip-up when under no pressure.

Up 4-1 against Iceland, they let the lead slip and ended up drawing 4-4.

They still managed to qualify with a game to spare and without losing but that lack of concentration later this month could be the difference between going home early and reaching the latter stages.

Ecuador will be their main rivals and they will need to be at their best if they are to finish second behind group favourites France.

Manager Ottmar Hitzfeld, who will retire after the tournament, will be looking to experienced midfielder Gokhan Inler to lead on the pitch and break up play to allow younger players such as Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka to express themselves.

Up front, 21-year-old Josep Drmic has made headlines this season in the Bundesliga and Hitzfeld will be hoping he can continue his goalscoring exploits in Brazil.

In goal, the ever-impressive Yann Sommer should be given a chance to show that he is ready for the big stage but he may lose out to the more experienced Diego Benaglio.

Philippe Senderos is a huge presence at the heart of the defence and Johan Djourou is likely to partner with him as they attempt to keep out the best the world has offer.

Verdict: They have just enough to pip Ecuador to second spot but can’t afford to lose any points to them or Hondoras.

Despite being tough to beat, I can’t see them progressing much futher then the round of 16.