The Arena Amazonia in Manaus will host a frenetic battle between Honduras and Switzerland with Honduras needing a win in order to stand any chance of qualifying for the last sixteen. Pacy winger Andy Najar could return for Honduras while Ottmar Hitzfeld, the Swiss coach may have to swap out Steve von Bergen who picked up a fractured cheekbone while making a brave headed interception in the game against France which they unfortunately lost. Ex-Arsenal player Philippe Senderos looked a little ill-at-ease after coming on for Bergen and so may be consequentially replaced by Fabian Schaer.
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Switzerland and Honduras haven’t played each other since the last World Cup, and even then only managed to grind out a hard fought 0-0 draw, which in turn saw them finish third and fourth in the table, ending their hopes of qualifying that year. They are now experiencing Deja Vous as they find themselves in exactly the same position as the last time round, but both will be hoping to somehow force their way into contention for the round of sixteen. Ottmar Hitzfeld has stated that his side will not fail, and that the last World Cup outcome will not be repeated. Strangely enough at the last tournament, his side had actually beaten a resurgent Spain by this point. Honduras effectively ended both teams’ progress that year as they held Switzerland to a stubborn 0-0 draw, sending them both home for another four years.
This time however, Hitzfeld insists that things are different: “We will win this time. It’s that simple,” he said. “I am convinced that we have a lot more potential in our front four this time, a lot more potential in our offence. We’ve scored four goals in this World Cup already, so I am confident we can score goals against Honduras too.” Unfortunately for the Swiss though, while they may have offensive strength it seems as though defensive strength is where they may falter this time round, having lost by a landslide against France who fired five past them, all the while making it look easy. In Group E, Switzerland are the seeded side, and currently ranked sixth in the world and if this was to be their swansong at these games it would be a massive disappointment for Hitzfeld, who has announced that he will be retiring after this tournament.
Honduras for their part could still go through the the last sixteen in a very unlikely sequence of events that includes them winning by four goals and France beating Ecuador. Carlo Costly, the Honduran striker said of this: “We’re still hopeful and we’ve got faith that everything will turn out well, that’s what we’re clinging on to”. This is the second meeting between these two sides, who battled to that goalless draw at the 2010 World Cup. Honduras are the tournament’s under-achievers in front of goal, having scored only one goal in 569 minutes of play and having won only one of their last nine games.
