Brazil vs. Honduras: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info
Tom Sunderland@@TomSunderland_
Featured ColumnistJune 10, 2015
Copa America contenders Brazil will play host to Honduras on Wednesday evening in what will be their final warm-up fixture for the South American tournament, hoping to end their preparations on a high note.
Dunga's team claimed a 2-0 win over Mexico on Sunday night and will be looking to ensure moods aren't dampened against the Hondurans, with their Copa America game against Peru just four days later.
This will be the second time in the space of a year Honduras have made their way to the Estadio Beira-Rio, having lost to France 3-0 at last year's World Cup, almost exactly one year ago to the day.
Brazil will look to inflict another heavy defeat on Jorge Luis Pinto's side just prior to that 12-month anniversary, with all the vital viewing information, team news and preview discussed ahead.
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 2 a.m. GMT (Thursday, June 11)/9 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre
Live Stream: beIN Sports Play (U.S.)
TV Info: beIN Sports 1 (U.S.)
Team News
Brazil forward Robinho will be hoping to make his return to fitness this week after playing no part in the side's win over Mexico on Sunday, with a knee injury keeping him sidelined.
South American football expert Rupert Fryer confirmed the Santos star would be out for the fixture against El Tri, but minutes would be valuable against Honduras, even if coming from the bench:
Robinho is at least more fortunate than the likes of Luiz Gustavo, Oscar, Marcelo and Diego Alves, at least, each of whom have been ruled out of the Copa America, according to Goal.com.
Holding midfielder Fernandinho is also reported by Goal's Fernando H. Ahuvia as a doubt this week after suffering a strain on Saturday, quoting Dunga on his chances of changing the line-up prior to the Mexico matchup:
"The team will be the one that you have already seen training. We have trained all week, and I will not change the team one day before the game."
Having started on the bench against Mexico, Thiago Silva may also be in line for a return to the starting XI as he looks to ramp up some match fitness ahead of the Copa America getting underway.
Perhaps the greatest concern for Honduras is the fact manager Pinto will be missing from their sideline, having been sent off during his team's 2-2 against Paraguay on Saturday.
Honduras captain Maynor Figueroa will also be absent for the Brazil fixture, having been shown a straight red card against the Paraguayans for an ill-timed tackle on Nelson Valdez.
| Brazil vs. Honduras Form Guide | |
| Brazil | Honduras |
| W 2-0 vs. Mexico (H) | D 2-2 vs. Paraguay (A) |
| W 1-0 vs. Chile (N) | W 2-0 vs. El Salvador (N) |
| W 3-1 vs. France (A) | W 3-0 vs. French Guyana (H) |
| W 2-1 vs. Austria (A) | L 3-1 vs. French Guyana (A) |
| W 4-0 vs. Turkey (A) | L 2-1 vs. Venezuela (A) |
| Soccerway.com | |
Predicted Formations
Brazil (4-2-3-1)
Jefferson; Danilo, Luis Filipe, Miranda, David Luiz; Elias, Casemiro; Fred, Philippe Coutinho, Willian; Roberto Firmino
Honduras (4-3-2-1)
Donis Escober; Johnny Palacios, Emilio Izaguirre, Henry Figueroa, Brayan Beckeles; Alfredo Mejia, Luis Garrido, Arnold Peralta; Mario Martinez, Andy Najar; Rubilio Castillo
Players To Watch
After being added to the Brazil squad following Gustavo's injury, Fred slipped rather seamlessly into the starting XI on Sunday evening and may again be one to keep an eye out for against Honduras.
While Wolfsburg's Gustavo added a steely presence to Dunga's side, the Mirror's Jack Lang rightly attests to Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred in being a more offensive force going forward:
Just as the Brazilian starlet has a weight of pressure on his shoulders, so too does Andy Najar, one of Honduras' up-and-coming talents and one of only five players in Pinto's squad plying their trade in Europe.
The 22-year-old Anderlecht winger bears the burden of acting as something of a live-wire in attack for his side, but escaping his Brazilian tormentors single-handedly may be an unthinkable challenge.
| Match Odds | |
| Result | Odds |
| Brazil Win | 1-6 |
| Draw | 6-1 |
| Honduras Win | 14-1 |
| Both Teams To Score - Yes | 6-5 |
| Oddschecker.com | |
Key Battle
Dunga's midfield resources are in some state of disarray at present following Gustavo's withdrawal and Fernandinho's recent knock, but Willian remains one of the side's most productive attackers.
Should the Chelsea man find himself starting on the right wing against Honduras, he's likely to find himself up against one of the opposition's most experienced stars, Emilio Izaguirre.
The Celtic defender can by no means run Honduras' show on his own, but Izaguirre is an outright threat of his own when surging from the full-back position and Willian could be found susceptible unless he intends to track back.