Honduras striker Alberth Elis. (Photo : Getty Images)
Lowly squads Honduras and Algeria are scheduled to square off in the Group D opening match in the Men's Football competitions of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics this Thursday, August 4 at the at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro.
Honduras advanced in this summer's games after placing second to the reigning Olympic champions Mexico in the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.
La Bicolor Olimpica fell to the mighty El Tri, 0-2, in the final of the said tournament, but with two spots open for CONCACAF, head coach Jorge Luis Pinto were still able to qualify.
The team is actually not expected to go past the group stages because of the presence of Portugal and Argentina in their bracket, but it would be a shock if they get beaten easily by these two squads.
Los Catrachos "thrives as the underdog" against the high-profile teams, as per ESPN, and they might pull off some upsets early in the tourney.
Everton target Alberth Elis is the team's main man and top attacking option as the striker has the quickness, pace, strength, and skill to outmaneuver all kinds of defenders. Overage players Romell Quioto would be an able partner for him up front and Johnny Palacios will be the center of the defense.
Meanwhile, Algeria's second place finish in the 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations brought them to this year's competitions.
They lost to Nigeria, 1-2, in the final of the CAF qualifiers as they failed to score a goal, with an own goal from Tope putting them on the board in the said match, via Goal.
Leicester City superstar Riyad Mahrez almost suited up for the team this summer, but the players' representatives and the federation did not agree on some terms that eventually failed the deal. It would have been a different story for the Fennec Foxes if it pushed through.
Still, the team is pretty tough with striker Baghdad Bounedjah leading the line. However, their strength is in the midfield with midfielders Rachid Ait-Atmane and Sofiane Bendebka as well as defender Abdelghani Demmou putting stability.
The predicted result is a 1-0 decision for either Honduras or Algeria.
Honduras starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Lopez; Alvarez, Palacios, Vargas, Pereira; Acosta, Lozano, Salas, Banegas; Elis, Quioto
Algeria starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Salhi; Rebiai, Abdellaoui, Demmou, Keniche; Belkebla, Ait-Atmane, Bendebka, Draoui; Bounedjah, Meziane
