Groups E and F. The World Cup has started, but of course not all teams have played yet. On this football-language podcast we take a look at two more groups in the tournament: Groups E and F. For this audio report there is a transcript, which is great for learners and teachers of English, who can use it to create worksheets and activities. If you have questions or comments, email us at: [email protected] (Damon=DB).

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Transcript of the show (16th June 2018)

Learn English through Football Podcast: 2018 World Cup Preview – Groups E and F

Introduction

DB: You are listening to languagecaster.com’s football-language podcast. Hello everyone and welcome to the podcast for all those interested in improving their English skills and who love the game of football and the World Cup! My name is Damon and on this audio report we will be looking at groups E and F, which start their games on Sunday with Costa Rica v Serbia, from group E. For this audio report we have a transcript and which can be freely accessed if you come along to our site – languagecaster.com. If you like what we are doing and also want to receive some extra posts and materials then please consider becoming a patron – come along tot he site and click on the big orange button to see how you can support us! Cheers!

Stinger: You are listening to Languagecaster.com (in Vietnamese).

Group E

* Brazil (2nd)

* Costa Rica (23rd)

* Switzerland (6th)

* Serbia (34th)

It looks like Brazil are nailed on, definitely sure, to top this group. They will be desperate to put in a good performance at this World Cup after being shocked and humbled at the hands of Germany on their home soil in the last tournament. I’m sure all football fans remember that 7-1 thrashing. Many pundits predict that this will be Neymar’s time to shine, just as Messi and Ronaldo’s careers are reaching their last stages. It’s hard to find a weakness in the Seleção, with strength all over the pitch – a nice balance of steel and flair. 

It looks like the battle for the second qualifying spot is quite open after that, although Switzerland’s ranking of 6th in the World must be taken with a pinch of salt – they really are not that good. They will rely on Xhaka and Shaqiri for creativity and goals, and also in their favour is the fact that their squad is relatively young – and average age of 27.2 – perhaps the peak age for a footballer.

Costa Rica and Serbia will both believe that they can defy the rankings and grab second, which makes their opening game on Sunday massive. Serbia are another young side with an average age 26.8, the fifth youngest in the competition. The cliches, good on paper, and dark horses could also be used to describe them. Look out for the Lazio midfielder Milinkovic-Savic to catch the eye!

Los Ticos, Costa Rica’s nickname, are getting older as a squad,