Honduras could still make it to the next stage if they defeat Switzerland by two goals or more and Ecuador lose to France, but it is their opponents who are much closer to qualifying for the knockout stages, seeing as how they need to better Ecuador’s result in the final round of group fixtures.

Poor campaign for Honduras

While Honduras did well to qualify for the tournament finals, finishing four points above Mexico, La Bicolor haven’t exactly managed to prove they deserve to play at this level. Some pretty disappointing results in warm-up matches were just a sign of things to come as Luis Suarez’s side were beaten by both France and Ecuador at the tournament finals, meaning they are now on the verge of elimination. After they were hammered 3-0 by Les Bleus, Honduras showed some improvement in the second group fixture, having even taken the lead against Ecuador, but eventually had to settle for a narrow defeat. Judging by their first two performances, La Bicolor don’t seem to have what it takes to match world’s top sides and I fully expect them to experience numerous problems when facing very good Switzerland side, who need a victory, preferably a comfortable one to secure progress into the next stage.

Wilson Palacios returns from suspension, meaning coach Luis Suarez will have fully fit squad to select from for the Switzerland game.

There is room for improvement

Switzerland have developed into one of Europe’s top sides over the years and they were tipped by many as the dark horses of the 2014 World Cup finals. However, it appears the Rossocrochiati did not actually enjoy a good start, although they are still in a good position to qualify. After conceding against the run of play, Ottmar Hitzfeld’s charges did well to outplay Ecuador and record a 2-1 triumph, before another slow start cost them dearly against France. With important defender Steve von Bergen forced to come off early on, the Swiss went on to concede no less than five goals before they finally started playing to their potential, with two second-half goals proving the team have got a lot more quality than they are showing. Experienced coach Ottmar Hitzfeld can be trusted to rally the troops ahead of the final group fixture and ensure the likes of Lichtsteiner, Behrami, Inler, Shaqiri and co. produce what they are capable off. With so much quality in their ranks, Switzerland look they can turn things around and defeat out-of-sorts Honduras.

Steve von Bergen has returned home after breaking his cheekbone, with Philippe Senderos likely to replace him in the starting line-up.

Verdict

Honduras will be low on confidence after two defeats, and it appears there is not much they can improve on at the moment. Meanwhile, Switzerland are packed with talent in all areas of the team and the second-half showing against France could be just the boost they need to kick-start their campaign.

Top pick: Switzerland/Switzerland   2.20 (6/5) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Switzerland with -1.5   2.32 (33/25) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Switzerland to win to nil   2.45 (29/20) @ Coral