El Salvador and Honduras will be looking for their first wins of the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign when they face each other at the Estadio Cuscatlan at the weekend.
Both nations began the Octagonal qualification stage in the CONCACAF region with draws in their opening matches in midweek.
Match preview
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El Salvador are bidding to reach Qatar in 2022 for their first World Cup since 1982, but will have to improve on recent qualification campaigns to stand any chance of doing so.
To further outline this point, this is only the second time the Salvadorians have reached the final round of qualifying in the CONCACAF region since 1998, never mind making it all the way as well.
In addition to these matters of concern, this weekend's hosts have failed to win in any of their past four matches in all competitions.
However, the most recent of those was a positive display from Hugo Perez's men in the opening qualifier, where they held this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League winners USA to a goalless draw on home soil.
Although they created very few chances, Perez will be pleased with his side's fair share of possession and the intense atmosphere created by the home crowd in the week.
Another intimidating display from the home supporters will be required at the weekend in order to increase their nation's chances against a side they have only managed to beat once in their past seven meetings.
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As for the visitors, like their hosts, Honduras also began their bid to qualify for the 2022 World Cup with a draw themselves.
Their opening match of the Octagonal phase saw them pick up an impressive away point in Canada, which was hard-fought and probably deserved in a fairly even encounter.
This was a positive start against a tough opponent, as they look to reach their fourth ever World Cup, where two of the previous three were in succession after successful qualification campaigns saw them reach the 2010 and 2014 finals.
A mixed summer of tournament action preceded the midweek opener for Honduras in recent months.
A positive third-placed finish in the CONCACAF Nations League was followed by two wins from two in the first matches of the Gold Cup, which then finished disappointingly after a 2-0 defeat to Qatar in the final group game and a 3-0 humbling at the hands of Mexico in the quarter-finals.
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Team News
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El Salvador boss Hugo Perez will remain without his top goalscorer from qualifying for the visit of Honduras - David Rugamas is still unavailable.
Rugamas will be a big miss as they search for goals after failing to find the back of the net in their last two. Joaquin Rivas will play in the forward line again after he scored three in the Gold Cup earlier in the summer.
First-choice goalkeeper Mario Gonzalez returned to the starting lineup in the opening qualifier after being restricted to just a substitute appearance in the friendly prior to that match.
Meanwhile, Honduras captain Maynor Figueroa remains top of the all-time appearances list for his nation; he won his 173rd cap in the week and will lead his side from central defence again at the weekend.
Jose Garcia made a short debut from the bench for his country last time out, whilst Marlon Licona and Danilo Acosta await their first appearances.
El Salvador possible starting lineup:
Gonzalez; Tamacas, Zavaleta, Gomez, Larin; Ceren, Orellana, Roldan; Monterroza; Henriquez, Rivas
Honduras possible starting lineup:
L Lopez; Najar, Pereira, Figueroa, D Rodriguez; E Rodriguez, Arriaga, Flores, Rivas; A Lopez, Moya
We say: El Salvador 1-1 Honduras
This encounter seems to have a draw written all over it, with both sides drawing in their opening matches and remaining evenly matched. Both will be desperate for a win but are likely to remain cautious in their fear of defeat as well.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a El Salvador win with a probability of 48.46%. A draw had a probability of 29.7% and a win for Honduras had a probability of 21.82%.
The most likely scoreline for a El Salvador win was 1-0 with a probability of 17.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.74%) and 2-1 (7.83%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (13.95%), while for a Honduras win it was 0-1 (10.16%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 14% likelihood.
