After England fans were given their first taste of World Cup agony or ecstasy last night, day four promises to serve up more drama as World Cup heavyweights France and Argentina enter the fray for the first time in Brazil 2014.
Both their games against Honduras and Bosnia-Herzegovina will be broadcast live on the BBC, but kicking proceedings off, however, will be Switzerland against Ecuador on ITV.
The Swiss were impressive in qualifying for the World Cup, topping group E without losing a game and in wiley former Bayern Munich boss, Ottmar Hitzfeld, they have a coach with a proven track record.
Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia is Ecuador’s star man and his side shouldn’t be underestimated – they pipped Uruguay to automatic qualification.
The second match on day four sees France take on tournament outsiders Honduras as both sides get their World Cup campaign underway.
France’s international pedigree has waned since they reached the final in 2006, with squad unrest undermining their performances in recent tournaments.
However, they have been revitalised after a difficult start under 1998 World Cup-winning captain Didier Deschamps, with key men Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery returning to form.
Honduras have never won a game at a World Cup finals, but the Central American nation have plenty of players with top-flight pedigree, and qualified ahead of Mexico.
Completing the three-match line-up on day four is the Group F match between Argentina and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first game of the tournament to be held at Rio’s fabled Maracana stadium.
Argentina are among the favourites to lift the trophy after topping the South American qualifying group and they boast arguably the finest set of forwards in world football, with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain offering formidable firepower.
Messi’s international displays have often been criticised, but he has shone since current coach Alejandro Sabella handed him the captain’s armband.
World Cup debutants Bosnia qualified in swashbuckling style, with Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko netting 10 of their 30 goals, however, it remains to be seen whether their defence can cope with Argentina’s attacking prowess.
You can watch all 64 matches from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil live across the BBC and ITV, with live streaming available online across multiple platforms.
Visit our dedicated World Cup page – sport-onthebox.com/worldcup – for a full rundown of everything you need to know.
SOTB’s TV viewing guide to Day 4 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup:
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DAY 4: SUNDAY 15th JUNE
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| GROUP E LIVE: 4.00pm-7.15pm Venue: Brasilia |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via ITV PLAYER
Day four in Brazil kicks off with the opening Group E contest at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia between Switzerland and Ecuador.
Switzerland produced a major upset in their opening encounter four years ago when they won 1-0 against Spain. However, they were still eliminated at the group stage following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Chile and a goalless draw with Honduras.
This time around, they will go into the competition with hopes of reaching the knockout stages following an impressive qualification campaign that saw them claim seven wins and three draws from their 10 matches.
The Ecuadorians, who are captained by Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia, did particularly well to qualify from the highly competitive South American zone, but the basis of their success was their excellent home record, meaning questions remain regarding how they will perform in Brazil.
The Ecuadorians’ last appearance in the World Cup finals was in 2006, when they finished second in their group behind hosts Germany before being eliminated by England in the last 16.
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| GROUP E LIVE: 7.15pm-10.05pm Venue: Porto Alegre |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
1998 world champions France kick off their World Cup campaign at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre against Central American opposition in the shape of Honduras.
France were the envy of many nations when they were handed arguably the easiest group from which to progress, having only narrowly qualified for the tournament following their play-off victory over Ukraine, which saw them overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit to reach their fifth successive finals.
With Switzerland and Ecuador the other sides involved, France will expect their star-studded squad to finish top and reach the last 16, where they may also be handed a favourable draw against a team from Group F.
However, the Central Americans will be looking to add to Les Bleus’ poor recent record in major tournaments, which has seen them struggle ever since finishing as runners-up in the 2006 World Cup, in the first competitive meeting between the two.
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| GROUP F LIVE: 10.30pm-1.10am Venue: Rio de Janeiro |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
The third and final match of day four sees Argentina, seen by many as one of the tournament favourites, play World Cup newcomers Bosnia-Herzegovina at the iconix Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
The Bosnians are the only country making their debut World Cup finals appearance during this tournament, something that has not happened since Brazil last served as hosts in 1950, when England were the only debutants.
Having only gaining independence as a nation from Yugoslavia in 1992, Bosnia have faced Argentina on two previous occasions, both in friendly matches, losing 5-0 in Cordoba in 1998 and 2-0 in St Louis last November.
Despite that recent loss on neutral territory, they will expect to perform much better in their first fixture at a major international competition, after winning eight of their 10 qualifying matches, and scoring 30 goals in the process.
However, they begin the tournament by facing one of the favourites for success, with Argentina having topped the standings in the South American qualifying campaign, with a squad that boasts one of the games most skilful players in Lionel Messi.
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SPORT ON THE BOX’S COMPLETE WORLD CUP TV GUIDE
Sunday 15th June Match of the Day: World Cup Highlights – Day 3 9.30am-10.30am BBC Two Football Focus: World Cup Special 12.15pm-1.00pm BBC One SWITZERLAND v ECUADOR Group E – Brasilia | Kick-off: 17:00 LIVE: 4.00pm-7.15pm ITV FRANCE v HONDURAS Group F – Porto Alegre | Kick-off: 20:00 LIVE: 7.30pm-10.05pm BBC One ARGENTINA v BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA Group F – Rio de Janeiro | Kick-off: 23:00 LIVE: 10.30pm-1.10am BBC One Match Replay: 2.50am-4.35am BBC Two.
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