萨尔瓦多和洪都拉斯。这俩国家历史上因为足球比赛导致两国军事冲突多次。

比赛前这俩国的国防部都做好准备了。

By Brian Homewood

BUENOS AIRES, June 9 (Reuters) - Neighbours Honduras and El Salvador meet in
a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, almost exactly 40 years after the so-ca
lled "Football War" flared between the two countries.

Honduras will host the match in San Pedro Sula where rivalry on the field wi
ll be intense with both teams attempting to reach their first World Cup sinc
e 1982 and only one point separating them in the final stage of the CONCACAF
tournament.

Honduras are fourth in the six-team group with four points from four games,
one place below El Salvador who controversially beat Mexico 2-1 on Saturday
with a late penalty.

The top three teams qualify directly for next year's finals in South Africa
and the fourth will play off against the fifth team from South America, curr
ently Uruguay, for another place.

Troubled Mexico, fifth with three points, host table-propping Trinidad and T
obago (2) at the Azteca in Wednesday's other match.

Leading pair Costa Rica (12 points from five games) and the United States (1
0 from five), who do not play, appear to be cruising towards South Africa, l
eaving the other four to scrap for the remaining direct place and the playof
f spot.

Matches between Honduras and El Salvador inevitably revive memories of the 1
00-hours war which the countries fought following a series of three World Cu
p qualifiers in 1969.

Mutual hatred surfaced at the first game in Tegucigalpa when Salvadorean fan
s taunted victorious Honduran players after their 1-0 win, fuelling politica
l tensions between the two countries over Salvadorean immigrants in Honduras
.

One week later, rival fans fought and cars were torched as El Salvador won t
he return match 3-0 in San Salvador.

MILITARY ACTION

El Salvador then won a playoff in Mexico City 3-2 but Honduras said they had
been cheated. Hostilities quickly flared into a diplomatic stand-off and th
en full-on military action as El Salvador attacked Honduras.

Neither side won a decisive military victory, 5,000 people died and a ceasef
ire was quickly called although the squabble was not formally buried until 2
006, when the presidents of the two countries stood on the border and shook
hands.

"Honduras is definitely under more pressure for this game," said El Salvador
's Mexican coach Carlos de los Cobos.

"They've just lost to the United States and have the duty to win at home in
front of their supporters to keep totting up points. We have to play this ga
me in an intelligent way."

Honduras, coached by Colombian Reinaldo Rueda, are missing injured striker D
avid Suazo.

Mexico should pick up three points at home to the Soca Warriors.

Coach Javier Aguirre, brought back for a second stint after Sven-Goran Eriks
son was fired in April, says that, with four of their last six games at home
, their predicament is not as bad as it looks.

Captain Pavel Pardo and midfielder Gerardo Torrado will both miss the game t
hrough suspension while Rafael Marquez is out with a long-term injury. (Edit
ing by Clare Fallon; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@
thomsonreuters.com)
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