PREVIEW
▲Chile
▲Honduras
A family tragedy will inspire Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios when he confronts Chile today in a Group H Nelspruit showdown.
Younger brother Edwin was kidnapped three years ago and although a ransom was paid, his body was discovered in a remote rural area.
“Everything I do in football is for Edwin. He is watching over me,” Palacios told Honduran reporters as the country prepares for only their second World Cup appearance.
Honduras proved a tough nut to crack in Spain 28 years ago, drawing twice and losing the other group game by a single goal, and this offers hope to Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda.
“Chile play a different brand of football to most countries and you have to be very intelligent to match them,” is the warning he drills into a team prone to defensive lapses.
Since defeating Yugoslavia to finish third as hosts of the 1962 tournament, Chile have played 13 matches in four appearances without celebrating a victory. But hopes are high that a team which finished second behind Brazil in the qualifying competition for South Africa can not only defeat Honduras, but reach the second round.
Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa favors a 3-3-1-3 system with the team swarming about the field like bees, trying to unsettle rivals. Bielsa is desperate for success after failing to take his homeland beyond the first round at the 2002 World Cup.
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