Honduras and Panama will contest an important World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Both teams still have a chance to clinch a top three spot in the tournament; the top three teams automatically clinch a spot in the 32-team tournament next summer, while the fourth place side will have to play New Zealand in a two-legged playoff.
Honduras sits in third place in the standings with 10 points in seven games. The team will be unable to clinch on Tuesday, but will put itself one win away from qualifying if it wins and Mexico loses against the United States. However, a loss to Panama combined with a Mexican win over the United Stated could potentially put Honduras back into fourth place with only two games remaining.
Panama is in desperate need of points as well. They sit in fifth place in the CONCACAF table. The team has seven points in seven games and is one point behind Mexico for the playoff spot. If Panama manages a win against Honduras and Mexico loses against the United States, then the Panamanians would climb to third place; a win would guarantee them at least a -1 goal differential instead of the -2 they currently have. Meanwhile, Honduras would drop from even to -1; Panama won the first encounter between the two teams and would win the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win on Tuesday.
Prediction: Honduras is home and full of confidence after the win in Mexico. Expect a 1-0 Honduras win.
Start Time: 9 p.m. EST
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