Switzerland have not won many friends with their dull brand of football which essentially entails them having ten men behind the ball at all times. It worked to perfection against Spain but they were well beaten by Chile even though it was only a 1-0 loss. Now that they are favourites to beat Honduras at $1.53 it will be interesting to see how they cope with the pressure of expectation for the first time. Will the experienced but aging Hakin Yakin start in order to give them some much needed creativity?
Honduras were simply dreadful in both group matches, showing no threat up front and an inability to defend in an organised manner. It was only the rash finishing of Spain and Chile that prevented them from getting a real hiding or two. They are $8.50 to win this match which is hardly a terrific bet considering how bad they have been. As they don’t really have the ability to defend deep with any sort of discipline, perhaps they will try and take the game to Switzerland.
Switzerland cannot rely on Stephane Grichting and his comrades to defend en masse yet again as they have to play to win for a change. This means that Alexander Frei may get a game as he attempts to add to his 40 international goals. Although Maynor Figueroa has been the one decent defensive performer Honduras have had, they should not attempt to sit back and defend. If they do, this could be a very dull game as the Swiss try to figure out how to commit men forward. As the Central American side are so poor, expect the Swiss to scrape the win yet this may not be enough depending on the other game.
Verdict: Switzerland to win narrowly and probably advance