World Cup 2022: Honduras Plan to Play Spoilers Against Pacesetters Canada

Honduras vs Canada

Two nations who are at the opposite sides of the CONCACAF World Cup 2022 qualifying table are set to go toe-to-toe once more this Thursday evening at the Estadio Olimpico.

Canada are looking to assert themselves over the rest of the pack by extending their table lead with yet another win. As of this writing, they have 16 points while USA and Mexico are right behind them at 15 and 14.

Honduras, on the other hand, are languishing at the bottom with only three points to show after the first eight matches. They are likely unable to join the festivities in Qatar, so it’s all about salvaging some pride at this point.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds have the Maple Leafs as the favourites to win in this fixture, albeit only via a small margin.

The reason why it is so is because their previous meeting ended in a highly competitive affair, and perhaps we might see a similar outcome anew.

Talking Points

Honduras won’t go down without a fight

Los Catrachos have had a bad campaign in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers. Heading into this contest, they’ve lost five straight matches in all formats.

Hernan Dario Gomez tried to prepare his men for Thursday by competing against Colombia in an international friendly last Monday, but to no avail as they were defeated 2-1.

Granted, that both teams didn’t field in their best starting XI, Honduras’ lack of chances in the said fixture (only one shot on target) is a big red flag.

CF Montreal striker Romell Quioto projects to address that issue since he is their main protagonist in the final third. The 30-year-old has 12 goals in 54 international appearances for Hondura.

Joining him up front is the young Edwin Rodriguez who offers searing pace, while Colorado Rapids’ Bryan Acosta and Bordeaux’s Alberth Elis will man the midfield.

Former Wigan Athletic defender and skipper Maynor Figueroa is relentless as they come despite his advancing age, and he’ll link up with FC Motagua’s Carlos Melendez to form their centre-half partnership.

Canada have gaps to fill

Canada are having a renaissance of sorts with their golden generation of young talent, and they’re here to stay as a force to be reckoned with in the CONCACAF for the foreseeable future.

The Maple Leafs are the only unbeaten team left through the first eight qualifying games (W4, D4), and they would certainly fancy their chances of getting another road win after they did it against the likes of Mexico, USA, and Jamaica.

However, they’ll have to confront the fact that some of their players won’t be available in this fixture.

Alphonso Davies’ absence leaves a glaring hole on the left side as he wasn’t included in John Herdman’s lineup due to a myocarditis diagnosis after a bout with COVID-19. Other than Davies, midfielder Stephen Eustaquio is also out since he’s positive for the coronavirus.

With the two of them out, there’ll be more opportunities for Jonathan David and CONCACAF Gold Cup standout Tajon Buchanan to create more World Cup 2022 highlights for Canada.

History

History favours Honduras in their overall head-to-heads against Canada. In their last 13 matches before this Thursday, Los Catrachos have the major edge with six wins while the Maple Leafs have only won twice along with five draws.

Canada have yet to defeat Honduras in quite some time as their last victory dates back to November 2015.

Nothing would be more satisfying for the visitors than getting a compelling victory against their hosts this Thursday, especially since Honduras gave Canada their second-worst loss in national team history.

The Maple Leafs suffered a humiliating 8-1 loss to Los Catrachos which extinguished their World Cup qualifying hopes on October 2012.

Their previous meeting took place last September where both sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw as Cyle Larin and Alexander Lopez scored one penalty each.

Betting Tip

	Honduras vs Canada	Canada Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.13
	January 28, 09:05 (GMT+8)

Canada only hold a slim edge over Honduras in the latest World Cup 2022 odds. They are installed to win 2.12, but Honduras aren’t far behind at 3.25 and chances for a draw are priced at 3.10 in the 1X2 market.

The Maple Leafs are vying for more points since it would ultimately confirm their tickets to Qatar, so we see them going hard against Los Catrachos for this contest.

Although we expect them to win since they have the better recent form, this won’t be a walk in the park for Canada since Honduras enter this match with nothing to lose.

 

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