Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, 4pm Friday (9am Saturday, AEDT)

Live on Fox Sports and 9Go.

Referee:

Nestor Pitana, Argentina.

Honduras: Possible team (4-2-3-1):

Escober; Izaguirre, H. Figueroa, J. Palacios, Beckeles; Mejia, Acosta; Quioto, Lopez, Boniek Garcia; Lozano.

Player to watch:

Anthony 'Choco' Lozano.

Honduras' quick forward will likely lead the line for "Los Catrachos" in the first leg against Australia and has been somewhat of a talisman for the home side. There are high hopes that rest upon the shoulders of the young striker who is one of the few plying his trade in Europe. A prolific spell with local giants Olimpia earned him a move to Spain where he spent two years with Tenerife before being snapped up Barcelona, where he plays in their second team. Alongside striker Eddie Hernandez, he's emerged as one of the new faces of the team and a fan favourite.

Australia: Possible team (3-2-4-1):

Ryan; Jurman, Sainsbury, Wright; Jedinak, Luongo; Behich, Mooy, Troisi, Risdon; Juric.

Player to watch:

Aaron Mooy.

The Huddersfield playmaker could not have had a better response to being benched in his last game for Australia. A game-changing performance helped the Socceroos to a dramatic 2-1 win over Syria before scoring against Manchester United in a shock win for The Terriers. There can seemingly be no tactical reason for Australia's best player not to start against Honduras. While the Hondurans are physically strong, fit and direct, they offer space in behind. Their defence is porous at times and the creativity of Mooy could prove pivotal as Australia hopes to net a vital away goal.

In the dugout:

Honduras: Jorge Luis Pinto.

The Colombian coach has been somewhat successful but is far from the most popular man in Honduras. Inconsistent performances and controversial tactics resulted in widespread frustration while a frosty relationship with the high-profile media has done his cause no favours. Dropping fan favourite and national star Carlo Costly was the final straw for many fans and the only way to mend those strained relationships will be World Cup success. Sound familiar?

Pinto is potentially gambling on the selection of striker Eddie Hernandez despite still recovering from a broken cheek bone, while right-winger Boniek Garcia is a chance to start despite concerns over his fitness. He knows Honduras will struggle in Australia and will be going all-out against the Socceroos in the hope of making the long-haul trip with a comfortable buffer.

Australia: Ange Postecoglou.

In what could well be his final away game in charge of the Socceroos, Ange Postecoglou will stick to his guns. An all-out attack is assured. So too a back three as he refused to deploy a more conservative approach in a stadium nicknamed "The Tomb" because of the lack of success of visiting teams. The reason? He wants away goals and plenty of them. There's a belief within the Socceroos that the job will be done in Sydney on November 15 but the damage can be inflicted in San Pedro Sula. They want to make the Hondurans run as much as possible by deploying a slick, possession-based game plan. That's hoped to heap more fatigue on a team that will arrive in Sydney 24 hours later than Australia with several players being forced to make the arduous journey in economy class. Honduras rarely travel more than five hours for games and Postecoglou's plan is to make them chase a result in Sydney on the back of unprecedented difficulties.