Chile to take on Honduras in Group H opener

Johannesburg, Jun 16: Honduras and Chile will go head-on in the Group H opener on Wedenesday, Jun 16 in Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.

With the injured Swiss clashing against Spain in another match, the stakes are high for both the Handorans as well as the South Americans as the game will decide which team would enter the round of 16.

Both the teams will be impaired by the injuries of their strikers. Incidentally, both the strikers are named Suazo. Both Chile"s Humberto Suazo and Honduras' David Suazo have sustained a thigh injury.

Chile's striker, who stockpiled 10 goals of the South American team in the qualifiers, has shown quick recovery and will be playing the Jun 16 opener.

Fixture by Date - Fixture by Group - Teams & Groups - Points

The Hundurans, on the other hand, will be suffering the absence of Genoa forward David Suazo.

Based on the performance in the South American qualifiers, in which Chile finished just a point behind Brazil, the Chileans are likely to win the match.

The Chile superiority also shows on the FIFA Ranking. While the South Americans are ranked 18th, Honduras are place in the 38th spot, 20 spots below Chile.

Players to watch:
Chile: Gonzalo Jara, Alexis Sanchez
Honduras: Amado Guevara, Ramon Nunez

All time head-to-head

Games Played: 5 (all friendly)
--Honduras 2 wins, Draws 0
--Chile: 3 wins, Draws 0

1997, Santiago: Chile 3, Honduras 2
2000, Santiago: Chile 5, Honduras 2
2001, San Pedro Sula: Honduras 3, Chile 1
2003, San Pedro Sula: Honduras 1, Chile 2
2009, Fort Lauderdale: Honduras 2, Chile 0

Goals: Chile 11; Honduras 10

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