It’s lonely at the top for John Herdman and the Canadian national team after scoring four goals and conceding none while facing Honduras and the United States over the past two matches. These victories have seen Canada grow their lead in Concacaf World Cup qualifying to four points over the United States and Mexico. With them ahead of fourth place Panama by five points, Canada won’t be able to clinch a World Cup spot with a victory at El Salvador on Wednesday, but they do have a chance to secure top five in the octagonal with a win, which would guarantee at worst a playoff spot.
Here’s are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 2 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio Cuscatlán — San Salvador, El Salvador
TV and live stream: Paramount+
Odds: El Salvador +320; Draw +205; Canada -116 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
El Salvador: Coming off of a 2-0 victory over Honduras, they’re facing a slim chance of getting into the World Cup with some help but they’ll have a mountain to climb against Canada on a roll. El Salvador’s press has caused problems for opponents but they’ve struggled to score — only Honduras has scored fewer goals in the octagonal with five — but in a home match, things could get interesting as they look to hand Canada their first loss.
Canada: Defensive lynchpin Steven Vitoria will miss this match due to yellow-card accumulation, but Herdman has a few options for replacing him. Canada can shift to a back four or bring Scott Kennedy into the lineup. But no matter who is in defense, it will be up to Tajon Buchanan, Jonathan David and Cyle Larin to pull Canada through this match.
Prediction
This won’t be a walk in the park for Canada, but their quality in attack will push them to victory. Pick: Canada 1, El Salvador 0
