Honduras will attempt to complete the sweep of Cuba when they play this Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 9:30 PM EDT at Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula, in this CONCACAF Group C match. Honduras knew they needed to get a win in Havana if it wanted to remain in contention for a spot in the final hexagonal round of the CONCACAF qualifiers. They did just that and got a convincing 3-0 victory over the Cuban home team. Will Cuba pull off an upset that derails Honduras’ chances of going to the World Cup?
I’ll answer that question right now: no. No disrespect meant to Cuban fans, but Cuba simply does not have the talent to compete at the same level as Honduras. Furthermore, in three Group C matches so far, Cuba has not scored yet, and it has allowed five goals. Last Friday in Havana, Honduras was clearly superior on the field (and even on the stands, with Hondurans making up most of the crowd), easily winning 3-0. Bengston, Bernardez and Chavez each scored one goal, giving Honduras a big boost in its goals margin, which could play a vital role in deciding who advances in this tight Group C.
Honduras currently finds itself with four points, two behind Panama and three behind Canada. Given that Cuba is the Group C weakling, it is vital that Honduras take all six points from them. Anything other than a victory against Cuba could ultimately knock the Hondurans out of the competition. However, Honduras appears to have fully recuperated from its bad 0-2 loss at home against Panama last September, coming back with an important 0-0 draw in Toronto, and more recently pounding the Cubans in Havana.
Group C is setting up to have a really exciting finale. A win by Honduras against Canada, and (assuming as it is not given) a win by Panama against Canada this Tuesday, we could see three teams fighting for two spots, all within a two-point margin. I am really looking forward to the final Group C matches in October!
Click here to view the latest CONCACAF WCQ standings
Prediction: Honduras simply has too much talent, plus it has the added benefit of playing at home against a team that isn’t capable of scoring. Honduras will dominate the match and win without too much trouble. The score will be Honduras 3 – Cuba 0. It is important for Honduras to try to score as many goals as possible, as these may very well play a key role in deciding which teams advance to the hexagonal round.
Television: The Honduras vs Cuba match will be shown on DirecTV by Pay-Per-View this Tuesday, September 11 at 9:30 PM Eastern.
