A star-studded Brazil team headline Group E at the 2018 World Cup, while the likes of Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia will also be trying to make it to the knockout stages.
After their nightmare exit from the 2014 World Cup at home (losing 7-1 in the semi-finals to Germany), Brazil will be determined to bounce back in Russia over the next month.
Brazil - led by PSG superstar Neymar - are the most successful team in World Cup history, securing five trophies in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, but they haven’t had much success recently, with the likes of Germany, Italy and Spain all claiming the silverware since their last triumph.
The Brazilians have been drawn into a favourite group in Russia. The ever-present Switzerland are one of the toughest sides to break down for those outside the top-tier nations, but they are seemingly a good match-up for Brazil, while 2014 quarter-finalists Costa Rica will find it extremely difficult to replicate those heroics in Europe. Serbia meanwhile battled through the European qualifiers and will be competing at the World Cup for the first time since 2010 after missing out four years ago.
Brazil are firm favourites with the bookies to top Group E, while there’s not much separating Switzerland and Serbia. Costa Rica are massive outsiders.
Group E Odds
Winner: Brazil $1.28, Switzerland $7.50, Serbia $8.00, Costa Rica $19
To qualify: Brazil $1.06, Switzerland $2.10, Serbia $2.20, Costa Rica $4.50
Prediction
Group E Fixtures
Group E Squads
| | |
Goalkeepers | Alisson | Roma |
| Ederson | Manchester City |
| Cassio | Corinthians |
Defenders | Danilo | Manchester City |
| Fagner | Corinthians |
| Marcelo | Real Madrid |
| Felipe Luis | Atletico Madrid |
| Thiago Silva | Paris St Germain |
| Marquinhos | Paris St Germain |
| Miranda | Inter Milan |
| Pedro Geromel | Gremio |
Mdfielders | Casemiro | Real Madrid |
| Fernandinho | Manchester City |
| Paulinho | Barcelona |
| Fred | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Renato Augusto | Beijing Guoan |
| Philippe Coutinho | Barcelona |
| Willian | Chelsea |
| Douglas Costa | Juventus |
Forwards | Neymar | Paris St Germain |
| Taison | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Gabriel Jesus | Manchester City |
| Roberto Firmino | Liverpool
|
| | |
Goalkeepers | Roman Buerki | Borussia Dortmund |
| Yvon Mvogo | RB Leipzig |
| Yann Sommer | Borussia Monchengladbach |
Defenders | Manuel Akanji | Borussia Dortmund |
| Johan Djourou | Antalyaspor |
| Nico Elvedi | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Michael Lang | Basel
|
| Stephan Lichtsteiner | Juventus |
| Jacques-Francois Moubandje | Toulouse |
| Ricardo Rodriguez | AC Milan |
| Fabian Schaer | Deportivo La Coruna |
Midfielders | Valon Behrami | Udinese |
| Blerim Dzemaili | Bologna |
| Gelson Fernandes | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Remo Freuler | Atalanta |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | Stoke City |
| Granit Xhaka | Arsenal |
| Denis Zakaria | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Steven Zuber | 1899 Hoffenheim |
Forwards | Josip Drmic | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Breel Embolo | Schalke |
| Mario Gavranovic | Dinamo Zagreb |
| Haris Seferovic | Benfica |
| | |
Goalkeepers | Vladimir Stojkovic | Partizan Belgrade |
| Predrag Rajkovic | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Marko Dmitrovic | Eibar |
Defenders | Aleksandar Kolarov | AS Roma |
| Branislav Ivanovic | Zenit St Petersburg |
| Dusko Tosic | Guangzhou R&F |
| Antonio Rukavina | Villarreal |
| Milos Veljkovic | Werder Bremen |
| Milan Rodic | Red Star Belgrade |
| Uros Spajic | Krasnodar |
| Nikola Milenkovic | Fiorentina |
Midfielders | Nemanja Matic | Manchester United |
| Luka Milivojevic | Crystal Palace |
| Sergej Milinkovic-Savic | Lazio |
| Marko Grujic | Liverpool |
| Adem Ljajic | Torino |
| Dusan Tadic | Southampton |
| Filip Kostic | Hamburg |
| Andrija Zivkovic | Benfica |
| Nemanja Radonjic | Red Star Belgrade |
Forwards | Aleksandar Mitrovic | Newcastle United |
| Aleksandar Prijovic | PAOK Salonika |
| Luka Jovic | Benfica
|
| | |
Goalkeepers | Keylor Navas | Real Madrid |
| Patrick Pemberton | Liga Deportiva Alajuelense |
| Leonel Moreira | Herediano |
Defenders | Cristian Gamboa | Celtic |
| Ian Smith | Norrkoping |
| Ronald Matarrita | New York City |
| Bryan Oviedo | Sunderland |
| Oscar Duarte | Espanyol |
| Giancarlo Gonzalez | Bologna |
| Francisco Calvo | Minnesota United |
| Kendall Waston | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| Johnny Acosta | Aguilas Dorados |
Midfielders | David Guzman | Portland Timbers |
| Yeltsin Tejeda | Lausanne-Sport |
| Celso Borges | Deportivo La Coruna |
| Randall Azofeifa | Herediano |
| Rodney Wallace | New York City |
| Bryan Ruiz | Sporting Lisbon |
| Daniel Colindres | Saprissa |
| Christian Bolanos | Saprissa |
Forwards | Johan Venegas | Saprissa |
| Joel Campbell | Real Betis |
| Marco Urena | Los Angeles FC
|