World Cup: Group E Preview

MATCHES (EDT)

Sunday, June 17 - 8:00 a.m: Costa Rica v. Serbia
Sunday, June 17 - 2:00 p.m: Brazil v. Switzerland
Friday, June 22 - 8:00 a.m: Brazil v. Costa Rica
Friday, June 22 - 2:00 p.m: Serbia v. Switzerland
Wednesday, June 27 - 2:00 p.m: Switzerland v. Costa Rica
Wednesday, June 27 - 2:00 p.m: Serbia v. Brazil

One of the heaviest favorites to win the World Cup, Brazil are the class of Group E, one that has solid quality among all four teams. That being said, this is hardly a group of death, and Brazil should have no problem topping the group now that superstar Neymar is back after sitting out since February because of an ankle injury. Neymar is not the only star on the roster, as the Brazilian attack boasts players like Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus and Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho to join Neymar, with Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, Chelsea's Willian, Juventus' Douglas Costa and Shakhtar Donetsk's Taison all fighting for minutes. It doesn't end there, as the central midfield is also as strong as they come, highlighted by Real Madrid's Casemiro and Barcelona's Paulinho (yes, the guy who used to play for Spurs!). If we have to pick a weakness it's at right-back, as Paris Saint-Germain's Dani Alves will miss the tournament because of a torn ACL, which means either Danilo or Fagner will take his place (or they'll split starts). Regardless, this team is set up for a deep run and should have no problem winning the group.

The fight for second place will be tough for each of the three sides competing, including Costa Rica, who surprisingly made it to the quarter-final in 2014. If there's a positive it's that the experienced squad is similar to the one from four years ago, so the familiarity with the situation and each other will be comforting. On the other hand, everyone is four years older and there wasn't an influx of youth to change the team that punched above its weight. A veteran squad with a goalkeeper -- Keylor Navas -- who just won his third consecutive Champions League, Costa Rica will rely mostly on their defensive strength to try and grab points from Switzerland and Serbia, since getting any from Brazil is probably too much to ask.

Switzerland have the second-best odds to advance out of the group, and if they do so it'll likely be because of solid play from Xherdan Shaqiri, who plays a major role for the side -- similar to what he does for Stoke City though with better teammates. They have some decent attackers in Haris Seferovic and Breel Embolo, but they aren't deadly finishers by any means. The midfield has some talent, and fullbacks Ricardo Rodriguez and Stephan Lichtsteiner are more than comfortable moving up in the attack, but it's tough to see Switzerland advancing without big games from Shaqiri.

That isn't the case with Serbia, who boast a strong center-forward in Aleksandar Mitrovic plus attacking midfielders like Dusan Tadic, Adem Ljajic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, each of whom can dominate on their day. The defense isn't the Serbs' strong suit, but they at least shield them with Nemanja Matic and Luka Milivojevic, two of the better defensive midfielders in the English Premier League this past season. And while their defenders aren't the best at actually defending, captain Aleksandar Kolarov is one of the best attacking fullbacks in the world, and he'll be a big piece of their attack if they're to finish ahead of Switzerland and Costa Rica to reach the knockout rounds.

OFFICIAL ROSTERS

ODDS REPORT

Odds via bet365.com

PLAYER GOAL ODDS

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brazil: You can try to convince yourself that someone other than Neymar is worth focusing on, but the reality is that nearly every other attacker on the roster could be rotated at any moment, with Neymar by far the least likely to not start. As mentioned above, there is a plethora of talent throughout the roster, but thanks to his excellent fantasy floor and sky-high ceiling, the biggest question fantasy players will have to consider is how they make up the points if they don't have Neymar on their teams.

Costa Rica: A defensive side without any stars, it's tough to get excited about anyone from Costa Rica. Six teams in the tournament have worse odds to advance to the knockout rounds (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco, Australia, Panama and Tunisia), and if you're thinking that maybe you'll target their set pieces, how many good opportunities do you think they'll get in this group? If you really want to go that route then your man is David Guzman, though if you want a little more open-play value then you could turn to Joel Campbell, who is technically an Arsenal player but has spent time on loan at Lorient, Betis (twice), Olympiacos, Villarreal and Sporting CP over the last six years.

Serbia:Aleksandar Kolarov is the guy most fantasy players will be targeting because of his role on set pieces for Serbia, but they should also give a long, hard look at Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who really came on for Lazio this season, including a great run at the end that saw him score three goals on 26 shots (nine on goal) and win 11 fouls in his last five games. His role for Serbia should allow him even more room to attack, and with players around him who can put the ball in the back of the net, he could reap the rewards of their finishing.

Switzerland: While it's not quite as drastic as Christian Eriksen with Denmark, it's tough to see Switzerland making any noise in Russia without Xherdan Shaqiri making his voice heard. The Stoke City attacker will likely be trying to show clubs around the world that he's worth buying after Stoke were relegated to the English Championship, and given that he will be on most set pieces, the spotlight will be on him more often than not.

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Brazil: Neymar, Willian, Philippe Coutinho
Costa Rica: David Guzman, Joel Campbell, Christian Bolanos, Bryan Ruiz
Serbia: Aleksandar Kolarov, Dusan Tadic, Luka Milivojevic, Adem Ljajic
Switzerland: Xherdan Shaqiri, Ricardo Rodriguez, Blerim Dzemaili, Granit Xhaka

EXPECTED PENALTY TAKERS

Brazil: Neymar, Philippe Coutinho
Costa Rica: Celso Borges, Bryan Ruiz
Serbia: Dusan Tadic, Luka Milivojevic
Switzerland: Ricardo Rodriguez, Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri

ROUND OF 16 OPPONENTS

• Winner of Group E plays the runner-up of Group F (Germany, Mexico, South Korea, Sweden)
• Runner-up in Group E plays the winner of Group F