Honduras will have to show a major improvement on their performance in the 3-0 loss to France if they are to remain in contention for a place in the next stage, but it remains to be seen if they can trouble Ecuador. La Tri missed a glorious opportunity to take at least one point from the Switzerland game, but they should be able to make things right in this match.

Wilson Palacios is suspended

Honduras did well to qualify for their third ever World Cup finals, but it appears it will be long before they record their first victory at the major tournament. La Bicolor could only manage two and one point respectively at their previous two appearances and it looks as though they will not fare any better this time out. Friendly defeats to Turkey and Israel went on to suggest Luis Suarez’s side could experience problems at the tournament finals, while the goalless draw against England appears to have been a one-off result. Honduras in turn largely struggled to match France in their opening fixture, with Wilson Palacios’ red card not helping either. And while their next opponents are not exactly as strong as Les Bleus, La Bicolor don’t seem to have enough quality or experience at this level to match Ecuador either. The absence of the key midfielder only adds to the worries. Honduras did share spoils with Ecuador in an international friendly in November 2013, but we know better than to place too much importance on that result.

Wilson Palacios misses out through suspension, but there are no other worries for coach Luis Fernando Suarez.

Heartbreaking defeat

While Ecuador were always going to have a difficult task in an attempt to reach the knockout stages, La Tri came incredibly close to winning the game against one of the favourites to go through. Reinaldo Rueda’s charges not only took the lead through the other Valencia, but they had a great opportunity to win the game seconds before Switzerland scored the winner in the dying moments of the match. Nevertheless, Ecuador players can be proud of their performance against one of Europe’s strongest sides and no doubt they will be confident of their chances of defeating Honduras. La Tri have proved their worth by sharing spoils with Netherlands and England in recent friendly games, while also doing well at the start of their World Cup campaign, so nobody is surprised they have been made favourites to defeat Honduras in the second group game and keep their qualifying chances alive ahead of the final fixture against France.

Boss Reinaldo Rueda has revealed that he will be making no changes to the side that started the first group game against Switzerland.

Verdict

Honduras have failed to prove they can compete at this level and with Wilson Palacios missing they will find it hard to get something from this game. Meanwhile, Ecuador showed plenty of potential in the unfortunate defeat to Switzerland and they look a good bet to see off their less illustrious opponents.

Top pick: Away win   1.73 (8/11) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 1: Honduras not to score   2.50 (3/2) @ Betfred

Alternative pick 2: Ecuador to win to nil   2.88 (17/9) @ SkyBet