France entered the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as the unquestioned favorites of Group E, and they still are after a major injury. Honduras will look to put a scare into them on Sunday.
World Cup Odds: France -310, Honduras +1175, Draw +385
Why France Can Win
Samir Nasri was left home because he didn’t want to come off the bench, and he had a role in the player mutiny of South Africa. Franck Ribery’s back didn’t cooperate enough to allow doctors to clear him for the tournament. However, France still has more than enough firepower to win this game handily. Karim Benzema and Oliver Giroud both scored 20-plus goals for Real Madrid and Arsenal, respectively, and between the two of them, France can run riot in this game. Losing Ribery doesn’t seem to have many in a panic, either, as Mathieu Valbuena has stepped up as the creative midfielder who is looked to for assists. Since Ribery has gone down, Valbuena has been France’s best player and even though he has been loyal to Marseille since 2006, he might be angling for a move to a bigger club at 29 years old.
Also, keep an eye on Paul Pogba. The 21-year-old is known for protecting Andrea Pirlo at Juventus in the midfield, and he might be given a longer leash to go forward by manager Didier Deschamps. Pogba has scored some quality goals for his club, he might have the chance for his country as well.
Why Honduras Can Win
Even though Honduras is overmatched in this game, they do have some playmakers France should worry about. Wilson Palacios has made 95 appearances for his country and Roger Espinoza sits at 42, and they both play in England (Palacios far more than Espinoza), while Oscar Garcia plays in Houston, but has 92 caps for Honduras. Carlo Costly has scored 31 times in 70 matches for Honduras, and he is going to play a huge role in this game as he is the outlet for the team not only to relieve pressure off the defense, but to put some on France.
The duo of keeper Noel Valladares and defender Maynor Figueroa are the leaders of the defense, which is going to be stretched to the limit against the French. Valladares has 122 appearances under his belt for his country, while Figueroa has 105. They will need all of that experience in this game because if they don’t play well, things could get very ugly for Honduras and that could carry over to the next two games.
Outlook
These countries have never met in competitive soccer, and Honduras is going to come out firing, but eventually, France will get control of the game and put it out of reach. Honduras is going to be scrappy, but as long as France keeps their emotions in check, they should come away with a win to give themselves some confidence, which is what they need after what happened in South Africa and they lost Ribery.
Pick: France
