Switzerland v Honduras: match preview

Switzerland v Honduras
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: Fri June 25, 7.30pm BST
All four sides in Group H can still qualify for the second round but the Swiss go into their final group match with the likelier chance. Having produced the shock of the tournament to beat Spain in the opening match they faltered in defeat to Chile, but victory by a two-goal margin over Honduras would secure qualification.
Honduras’s hopes are slender and rest on beating Switzerland while Chile defeat Spain, and on over-turning a four-goal deficit on the European Champions in the process.

Key clash
Alexander Frei v Maynor Figueroa: Switzerland’s game is built on one of the meanest defences in world football but their prospects of progress rest on scoring at least twice.
For that they will turn to Frei, who has scored 40 international goals but missed from the victory over Spain through injury.
Hunduras coach Reinaldo Rueda may give the Wigan full-back the job of shackling the Swiss captain at centre-half as he shifts to a flat-back four from the three-man defence overcome by Spain in the last game.
Touchline duel
Ottmar Hitzfeld v Reinaldo Rueda: Hitzfeld has already been credited with the coaching performance of the tournament in marshalling the victory over Spain, and “Der General” is vastly more experienced than his counterpart in the Honduras dug-out being one of just three coaches to have won the European Cup at more than one club.
By contrast Rueda, a Colombian, is something of an international expert having never managed a club. He restored Honduran pride after narrowly missing out on qualification in 2006 and a national holiday was declared after they qualified for South Africa.
Talking tactics
Having set up a defensive master-class against Spain Hizveld must now conjure goals from a Swiss team missing one of its most creative talents in the suspended West Ham midfielder Valon Behrami. He will hope that Frei remains a reliable source of goals and rely Gelson Fernandes and Reto Ziegler to provide width and set-piece delivery to supply the Basel forward.
Honduras were humbled by Spain who could have scored six rather than the two they managed at Ellis Park, and are expected to revert to a flat-back four while recalling veteran record-goalscorer Carlos Pavon to partner David Suazo in attack.
What they say
Ottmar Hitzfeld: "We know that with a two-goal margin we will qualify. We do not want to depend on other results. The game against Honduras is like a Champions League semi-final. I relish such games. These 90 minutes will be very intensive.”
Reinaldo Rueda: "We must go out to win. We must take into account that we still mathematically have a faint hope of qualifying. I'm expecting another difficult game against Switzerland. We'll now have to see if the players can bounce back mentally and go out and give their all to end on a high for the good of Honduran football."
Switzerland (4-4-2): Diego Benaglio; Stephane Grichting, Steve von Bergen, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Reto Ziegler; Tranquillo Barnetta, Gokhan Inler, Benjamin Huggel, Gelson Fernandes; Alexander Frei, Blaise Nkufo
Honduras (4-4-2): Noel Valladares; Sergio Mendoza, Osman Chavez, Maynor Figueroa, Emilio Izaguirre; Edgard Alvarez, Wilson Palacios, Amado Guevara, Roger Espinoza, Carlos Pavon, David Suazo
Referee: TBC.
Previous meetings
None
Fact: Switzerland have played against Concacaf teams just twice in the finals and are unbeaten, winning 2-2 against Mexico in 1950 and drawing 1-1 with the USA in 1994.
Prediction: Difficult to call, perhaps a draw.