What the Australian media is saying about Honduras, they have talked about delicate subjects and that hurts - and the players are going to be motivated by these issues. But Honduras has a mature focus at this point, the rivalry with Costa Rica and Mexico has made the players grow, we are accustomed to press wars in these types of games.

The reporting of the Australian media compared to Costa Rica, Mexico and the USA you talk about the difference between the players, who are the stars now and in the past, the strategies and the difference between the trophies that the teams have won in the past and it’s all about soccer.

The taunting is mostly about these subjects and not about social issues because we are similar countries. Mexico is much larger, so they do suffer from violence, same with Costa Rica and Panama, while the USA has terrorism, so you wouldn’t have these issues at stake when you have an important match.

There were some reports about mosquitoes in our food, so yesterday we had two of your colleagues Simon Hill from Fox Sports and Dominic Bossi from the Sydney Morning Herald in our press room and we challenged them to eat our food and we asked them how they were treated and everyone was happy and they are having fun in Honduras.

The match

But the important thing will be what is shown on the field this Friday. The home team are really confident. I spoke with Honduras coach Jorge Luis Pinto on Sunday and asked him if he sees himself in the World Cup, and he said he was really, really sure Honduras was going to be in Russia next year. I asked him again and he confirmed it, "we are going to be in Russia %100." So that’s the motivation of the team right now.

They believe they will be at their third consecutive World Cup. Having the first leg at home makes Honduras believe they can get a result from the first leg, especially after the last three games they have played. Honduras has shown another face and raised their level of football compared to the first half of the qualifiers.

If Honduras do not win, they lose a big chance of heading to the World Cup. That is clear, especially if we concede a goal as away goals count double in play-offs like this. Honduras couldn’t win 2-1 in Australia, so the important thing for Australia is that your goalie has an awesome day and doesn’t concede goals. The worst/best result would be 0-0. If you lose you are practically saying goodbye to the World Cup.

Honduras

Honduras has been playing better because of the arrival of some new players, for example the case of Eddie Hernandez who plays for F.C. Motagua in Honduras, scored a goal in the 1-1 draw with Costa Rica and gave an assist in the 3-2 win over Mexico.

Hernandez was injured but he has recovered right now. He is a big player, he fights for every ball in the air and his headers are spectacular. That is one of his best attributes so you have to watch out for Eddie Hernandez, if he is alone in the penalty area he will strike at goal. 

Anthony Choco Lozano is an important player for Barcelona B so that’s a plus for the team - a man that is accustomed to big leagues.  Rommel Quioto is Honduras top goal scorer in World Cup qualifying and plays for Houston Dynamo and fighting for the title in the MLS.

The number 10 for Honduras, Alex Lopez is the man that controls the rhythm of the team. Honduras relies on this player, he is a man that can profoundly attack so he feeds his strikers. Although he is a key man in the team, Pinto has made a good team and no man stands alone for this challenge.

Source: Diez

Honduras don’t rely on individuals, it’s more about the team and the team has to play the best they can this Friday. Honduras at home plays a typical 4-4-2 and also use a 4-2-3-1, so it depends on the strategy the coach wants to implement.  It varies and can also end up in a 5-3-2-1. With these players Pinto has found some consistency with the team.

The Australians

In the lead up to the game I see the Australians as confident. They don’t look pressured, they don’t look scared, it’s a professional team. I spoke with Tim Cahill when he first arrived he looked happy to be here. He told me that the perception of the country that his team had was not like some media outlets in Australia had reported, he told me he was happy and relaxed. It was only a small talk, but he seemed like a nice guy.

The injury of Tim Cahill is not a big concern to Pinto because the Honduras coach has analysed all the players. When I interviewed Pinto on Sunday he was about to watch Rosenborg play so he could analyse Alex Gersbach. He also told me he has been watching the games that included the other Socceroos players. 

He is big on analysing and strategy, so I don’t think he is waiting on Cahill to play or not to play. If Cahill has come all the way to Honduras, then he is ready. I do believe he is going to play, the question is if he is going to start or come on as a substitute. He is looking to make history and go to his 4th World Cup and this is his last chance, he won’t be playing at 42 right? So it’s all for him and we do think he will play in this game.

We know that Aaron Mooy is one of the key players and Tom Rogic is another player that Honduras needs to take care of. It’s a big team, they have a lot of European style even the way that they are managed. You can see that from the way they train and the discipline they maintain. I know they are accustomed to these type of games, they play in the English Premier and big leagues in Europe, so they know what to expect tomorrow.

The Fans

The Socceroos can expect a lot of pressure from the fans. The pitch is sold out, 39,000 fans are going to the game you won’t find tickets anywhere unless you play triple or quadrupled prices to ticket scalpers. The Australians can expect a lot of passion and pressure from the fans, the fans are used to cheering for the team no matter what – the crowd with be Honduras’ 12th player.

This is a big game, the last game Honduras played at home was against Mexico and had to beat Mexico 3-2. Is Australia a better team than Mexico? It was the same pressure as this game, they had to win the game. The difficult thing for Honduras is the second leg. As Australia plays the second leg at home, this gives them a good chance.

As told to Con Stamocostas.