Fifa World Cup 2014, Switzerland v France: Where to Watch Live, Preview and Team News

Follow live coverage of Switzerland v France here

Switzerland left-back Ricardo Rodriguez (right) celebrates with Haris Seferovic after the striker scored the winner against Ecuador. Getty Images

Switzerland take on France in their second Group E fixture of the 2014 Fifa World Cup at the Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, on Friday.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 8pm BST. Live coverage is on ITV 1 and UTV. Radio commentary of the game will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Overview

Switzerland come into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ecuador in their first match of the 2014 World Cup.

Going into half-time, the European outfit were trailing 1-0 courtesy of Enner Valencia's header midway through the first half.

Ottmar Hitzfeld's side responded strongly in the second half and Admir Mehmedi restored parity three minutes into the second-half after slotting home Ricardo Rodriguez's cross from the left flank.

The 21-yaer-old left-back once again turned provider in the last minute for Haris Seferovic as the Real Sociedad striker sealed all three points for the Swiss late in the game.

France travelled to Brazil with some stunning performances during their warm-up matches and kick-started their World Cup campaign by humbling Honduras, 3-0, at the Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre last Sunday.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring from the penalty spot on the cusp of half-time after Wilson Palacios was given marching orders for picking up a second yellow card.

The Real Madrid striker then doubled their lead three minutes into the second half after his attempt eventually went in off Ecuadorian goalkeeper Noel Valladares.

Nevertheless, Benzema had his second goal of the game with a fierce strike in the 72<sup>nd minute to complete the rout.

Switzerland and France are currently on three points with and the winner of this clash will seal their place in the knockout stages of the tournament. Les Blues will be keen on avoiding any mishaps like they endured in 2010 and look to get the job done on Friday.

However, their European counterparts won't be keen on giving up their chances easily and hope players like Xherdan Shaqiri delivers another man of the match performance in Brazil.

What Managers Say

Karim Benzema starred for the 1998 World Champions and will be the expecting to add to his tally against Switzerland. Getty Images

Ottmar Hitzfeld (Switzerland): "We're in a special position with France being our neighbours and it's a derby, so to speak, but if we are to have a chance, we really have to go beyond our limits. They are a team who have put in great performances and were impressive in their play-off win against Ukraine. They put in an explosive performance and played with confidence. We'll have to be aggressive on attack, counter-attack quickly and then we'll have a chance."

Didier Deschamps (France): "Switzerland is a team with a lot of quality. They have qualified easily in their group and did very well in their friendly games," les Blues trainer told a press conference. In their last 10 games, they won seven times and drew twice and had only one defeat against South Korea. They beat Brazil. If we are not able to win it we will try to get at least a draw. It is always better than losing it. I am sure Switzerland will start the game with the will to win it and it the same for us."

Team Form

Switzerland