Ecuador test for Swiss army

Stephan Lichtsteiner, whose marauding runs down right flank for Switzerland have earned him the nickname Forrest Gump, may find his style cramped by Ecuador's pacey wingers in Sunday's World Cup match.

The Swiss right back, one of his team's most potent attacking weapons, could find himself bogged down with less-favoured defensive duties to help his side cope with the threat posed by Ecuador winger Jefferson Montero in Sunday's Group E match.

Lichtsteiner, who has won three successive Serie A titles with Juventus, usually plays on the right of a five-man midfield for his club, giving him more freedom for his probing runs.

But Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld prefers him as a right-back in a 4-4-2 which, against teams such as Ecuador who attack down the flanks, invariably limits his freedom to charge forward.

Sunday's match will also be played at 13:00 local time and, with temperatures likely to be in the mid to upper 20s Celsius, Lichtsteiner may also have to dose his energies.

Montero's speed and trickery can make him unplayable on his day, although he is prone to inconsistency and frustrating tendency to go it alone.

The first-ever meeting between the two sides could be instrumental in deciding who finishes second in the group where France are seen as likely winners and Honduras are considered rank outsiders.
Squads:

Switzerland: 1. Diego Benaglio, 2. Stephan Lichtsteiner, 3. Reto Ziegler, 4. Philippe Senderos, 5. Steve Von Bergen, 6. Michael Lang, 7. Tranquillo Barnetta, 8. Gokhan Inler, 9. Haris Seferovic, 10. Granit Xhaka, 11. Valon Behrami, 12. Yann Sommer, 13. Ricardo Rodriguez, 14. Valentin Stocker, 15. Blerim Dzemaili, 16. Gelson Fernandes, 17. Mario Gavranovic, 18. Admir Mehmedi, 19. Josip Drmic, 20. Johan Djourou, 21. Roman Buerki, 22. Fabian Schaer, 23. Xherdan Shaqiri.

Ecuador: 1. Maximo Banguera, 2. Jorge Guagua, 3. Frickson Erazo, 4. Juan Paredes, 5. Alex Ibarra, 6. Cristhian Noboa, 7. Jefferson Montero, 8. Edison Mendez, 9. Joao Rojas, 10. Walter Ayovi, 11. Felipe Caicedo, 12. Adrian Bone, 13. Enner Valencia, 14. Oswaldo Minda, 15. Michael Arroyo, 16. Antonio Valencia, 17. Jaimen Ayovi, 18. Oscar Bagui, 19. Luis Saritama, 20. Fidel Martinez, 21. Gabriel Achilier, 22. Alexander Dominguez, 23. Carlos Gruezo.