The Swiss breezed through their European qualifying group, winning seven and drawing three of their 10 matches to finish top. Admittedly, a pool also containing Iceland, Slovenia, Norway, Albania and Cyprus was not the trickiest. But - *klaxon* football cliche alert - you can only beat the opposition in front of you.

"On a good day, we really can beat any team," reckons Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Image source, @youridjorkaeff

Former France international Youri Djorkaeff ahead of Switzerland v Ecuador:, external Talking World Cup memories with Roberto Carlos. Good to be here!!

Immigration is the hot political potato across Europe at the moment. And, when considering this sensitive issue, Swiss voters might want to consider the effect on their football team.

They backed a referendum in February to bring back strict quotas for immigration. But these restrictions, if applied retrospectively, would have deprived boss Ottmar Hitzfeld of 15 members of his 23-man World Cup squad. Remarkably, only eight of his players were not born outside of Switzerland or to foreign parents.

"Without immigrants, we would not have a team," concedes ex-Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich gaffer Hitzfeld.

John Hartson
BBC Radio 5 live

"I am looking forward to this one. It should be a good game. The Switzerland manager, Ottmar Hitzfeld, really fancies this, he has got rid of all the old guard and brought in the new.

"He has the likes of Bayern Munich's Xherdan Shaqiri and Josip Drmic, who scored 17 goals for Leverkusen last season, and also Valon Behrami and Gokhan Inler, who both play for Napoli.

"Switzerland are really fancying themselves for this tournament."

Switzerland starting XI: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Rodriguez, Von Bergen, Djourou, Inler, Behrami, Shaqiri, Xhaka, Stocker, Drmic.

Ecuador starting XI: Dominguez, Paredes, Ayovi, Guagua, Erazo, A. Valencia, Noboa, Gruezo, Montero, Caicedo, E. Valencia.

We've heard plenty of chat about the Brazilian weather and the impact on the competing teams. How will that affect the nations in action today? Luckily, BBC Weather's John Hammond is on hand to tell us about the conditions in Brasilia, Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro ahead of the three matches.

John reckons Switzerland and Ecuador will have to cope with "comfortable, but not excessive, heat" of 23 degrees in Brasilia. With most of the UK looking grey and gloomy today, that sound pretty comfortable to me.

Image source, Getty Images

The atmosphere is building up very nicely in sunny, blue-skied Brasilia as the capital city of Brazil prepares to host its first match of the tournament. The Swiss players jog out on to the pitch for their pre-match warm-up, as a smattering of applause ripples out in the sparse stadium. No sign yet of the Ecuadorians, expected to be backed by plenty of supporters who have travelled the 2,000+ miles across South America.

Tony Pulis
Crystal Palace manager on BBC Radio 5 live

"I fancy France for this group. They have been more settled than they have been for a while and they have some exceptional players. On their day, they can beat anybody."

BBC Radio 5 live

Build up to today's World Cup action is already under way on BBC Radio 5 live and you can listen in by clicking the 'Live Coverage' tab at the top of this page and selecting 5 live.

Then, from 17:00 BST, 5 live will have full match commentary from Ian Brown (the football commentator, not Stone Roses frontman) and ex-Wales striker John Hartson on the Group E opener.

Life as a live text commentator can be a lonely experience. Sat in a dark office, with just coffee and biscuits for company, eagerly waiting for your tweets and texts to provide interaction with the outside world. Don't leave me feeling lonely.

Are Switzerland favourites to win Group E? Or have Fifa's much-ridiculed rankings thrown up another anomaly? And how do you rate Ecuador's chances?

Whatever is occupying your mind at the moment, then don't be shy in letting us know. Tweet using #bbcworldcup, text 81111, or post on Facebook wall. Get typing!

Lazy Sundays are perfect for kicking back and digesting three World Cup matches. And if you are a dad from the UK, or one of many other countries celebrating Father's Day (including Ecuador), then you have got the perfect excuse to not move from the sofa. Here's today's feast of football for your delectation...

17:00 BST: Switzerland v Ecuador (Group E)

20:00 BST: France v Honduras (Group E)

23:00 BST: Argentina v Bosnia-Hercegovina (Group F)

If I said that we were kicking off Group E with the seeded team which is ranked sixth in the world, I'd lay my last pound on you thinking that was France. Well, you would be wrong.

Switzerland's seedings, in the context of a summer sporting tournament, are usually restricted to tennis stars Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in the men's singles draw at Wimbledon. But not any more.

Ottmar Hitzfeld's side aced their way through qualification, serving up some big performances to ease their way to Brazil. Can they secure their own Grand Slam of wins against Ecuador, France and Honduras? We're about to find out.

Image source, Getty Images

Bleary eyes? Fuzzy head? Feeling a touch grumpy? Thousands of you might be feeling like you need a bit more sleep after Saturday's marathon of World Cup action. Not a chance.

It is little over 12 hours since Ivory Coast's win over Japan brought another day of thrills and spills to a close. But there is no rest for the committed World Cup fan. So grab yourself a coffee, crack open a sugary, energy-boosting soft drink, or pop a couple of caffeine tablets. Welcome to day four...

Seven members of Switzerland's expected starting XI played for a top-six club in Italy or Germany this season.

Josip Drmic is likely to play as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Fabian Schar favourite to partner Steve von Bergen in central defence.

Ecuador have a fitness concern over key midfielder Cristhian Noboa.

Edison Mendez or teenager Carlos Gruezo are competing to replace Segundo Castillo, who was ruled out of the tournament because of a knee injury.