Chile v Switzerland, Monday 21st June, 3pm
Before the start of the World Cup, most people would have regarded this fixture as one that would effectively decide the runner-up in Group H. However, Switzerland’s surprise win against Spain means that Ottmar Hitzfeld will be eyeing top spot and his team are 12/5 (Ladbrokes) to repeat their victory in Durban with another three points against the Chileans. It’s surprising to see them at these odds, especially as the Swiss are likely to employ safety-first tactics again, using the counter-attack to good effect.
Chile are the favourites at 11/8 (William Hill) to win at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and we should remember that the south Americans finished second only to Brazil in their qualifying section. Marcelo Bielsa’s team might have only beaten Honduras 1-0 but it should have been a bigger margin of victory and Humberto Suazo (6/1 William Hill) is likely to be back in the team after missing the first match through injury.
It was Jean Beausejour that scored the only goal of the game at the Mbombela Stadium and the Club America forward is 11/1 (Paddy Power) to put the Chileans on course for the last sixteen, although Switzerland will have enormous confidence from their shut-out against stopping the favourites in their tracks and it really is a surprise to see Sky Bet offering 9/2 that they win to nil. Let’s remember that the Swiss won their qualifying group and look to have a defence that are strong, irrespective of whether Philippe Senderos is fit.