We look at the World Cup prospects for some Premier League teammates who will be on opposite teams during Brazil 2014. Who will finish on top?

Who are the players?

Antonio Valencia has won over 60 caps for Ecuador and has scored 8 goals for his country from his position on the right wing. He has played for Villareal in Spain and Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. Since 2009, he has played for Manchester United and has won 2 Premier League titles. 

Patrice Evra has won more than 50 caps for France and was his country's captain during the 2010 World Cup, in South Africa. He used to be a midfielder, but is now one of the world's top left-backs. He has played for Nice and Monaco in his home country, but since 2006 has played for the 'Red Devils'. Evra has won 5 Premier League titles and 1 Champions League with Manchester United. 

How important are the players to their national teams?

Antonio Valencia is the star and captain of this Ecuador team. Valencia was made captain after the tragic death of his Ecuador teammate 'Chucho' Benitez. Ecuador's coach, Reinaldo Rueda, said, "My new captain is Luis Antonio Valencia because Valencia was like Benitez' twin brother. They were very, very close so it was a way to get the group to come together and remember Benitez." Ecuador fans will be hoping that Valencia's direct running and accurate crossing will help Ecuador score goals and help the team and fans remember Benitez.

Patrice Evra is first choice left-back for France and will be in direct competition with Valencia. The Ecuadorian will be trying to get past him on that side of the pitch. Evra is an attacking defender, who likes to get to the byline and get lots of crosses into the box. The French fans will look to Evra's experience of big games and leadership qualities to get 'Les Bleus' into the next round. 

Do they have any weaknesses?

Both Valencia and Evra are world class players, so there are very few weaknesses. But Evra will be 33 at the World Cup and he is not as quick as he used to be. He likes to get forward a lot, which could leave France exposed in defence. Valencia, as a forward player, maybe doesn't score as many goals as he should, he has 8 in over 60 for Ecuador and 13 in more than 120 for Man Utd.

What is our prediction?

There is no clear favourite in this match. The seeded team in the group is Switzerland (the other team in the group is Honduras), so this match could decide which team qualifies for the last 16. Ecuador have the advantage of playing in South America, but France have some fantastic players including Karim Benzema, Frank Ribery and Oliver Giroud. 

We predict that Patrice Evra will help France to a 2-1 win, but both France and Ecuador will qualify from this World Cup group. 

When and where is the match?

The match is on June 25th at 2100 GMT in the 75,117 capacity Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Read another World Cup Face Off article - Edin Džeko (Bosnia) versus Sergio Agüero (Argentina).

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