The first two wins in this window of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying have put Canada in the departure lounge to go to Qatar 2022, with their ticket just needing to be officially punched.
While qualification may not be on the table Wednesday, that doesn't mean Canada will want to slow down the good times, as they look to end this window with a perfect nine points from three games.
Find out if they can do just that with our free soccer betting picks for El Salvador vs. Canada, with kickoff on February 2.
El Salvador vs Canada game info
• Location: Estadio Cuscatlan, San Salvador, El Salvador
• Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2022
• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: OneSoccer, Paramount+
El Salvador vs Canada betting tips
Click on each pick for complete analysis
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El Salvador vs Canada match odds
El Salvador: +300
Canada: -115
Draw: +240
Total: 2.5
Over: +145
Under: -195
El Salvador vs Canada betting preview
Weather
The late kickoff in San Salvador won't do much to make the conditions any more kind. Temperatures are expected to be around 75 degrees Fahrenheit when Canada and El Salvador get underway, with humidity of 80%.
Injuries
El Salvador: Brayan Landaverde CM (Out).
Canada: Samuel Piette CM (Questionable), Steven Vitoria CB (Out), Alphonso Davies LW (Out).
El Salvador vs Canada predictions
Side analysis
Regardless of the result Wednesday night, Canada will end this international window on the cusp of qualifying for the second men's World Cup in the program's history. That's because Sunday brought another banner moment, a 2-0 win over the USMNT on home turf, bringing their points tally from four games against the U.S. and Mexico to a fantastic eight points.
The way Canada's handled every step of qualifying has them atop the table and four points clear of the USMNT and Mexico with four games to go. Nobody has scored more goals than Canada. Nobody has conceded fewer goals or kept more clean sheets than Canada. Shoot, Sam Adekugbe's game-sealing goal vs. the U.S. on Sunday meant Canada are the only team to not allow more than one goal in any game this cycle.
Another two games of Canada answering the call have left this game in a different light. Just last week, away trips to Central America were intimidating propositions. Now it doesn't seem so scary, facing a team in El Salvador who have scored six goals to Canada's 17, while conceding twice as many. They just went away to Honduras, often seen as the toughest away trip in CONCACAF, and won. The bedroom light has been turned on and the monster looming ferociously over the bed has been rendered nothing more than yesterday's sweater, left precariously on a hanger.
The last two games have allowed Canada to puff out their collective chest. The last year has served to further emphasize truths about the Canadian men's national team: They are now one of the heavyweights in CONCACAF, and they have both the talent and depth in order for that to remain true regardless of the circumstances.
They made the Gold Cup semifinal, going punch-for-punch with Mexico, despite Alphonso Davies and their top four strikers all sitting out with injuries and/or rest.
They went into America and Mexico, played competitive games, and left with a point from each.
They welcomed the USMNT and Mexico into harsh, Canadian conditions, and sent them home with losses.
They went into Honduras last week, a place filled with CanMNT demons, without their two best players in Davies or Stephen Eustaquio, and won there for the first time since 1985.
They lined up with a curious midfield tandem of Jonathan Osorio and Mark-Anthony Kaye on Sunday against the U.S.'s ideal midfield three of Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, and Weston McKennie, and yet the Americans' possession came almost exclusively in the wide areas, unable to capitalize on what should have been an easy win in the center of the pitch.
This has been the qualifying campaign of a genuinely good, and still unbeatable, Canadian team. This isn't the type of campaign to hit a bump against El Salvador, simply because it's in Central America. This is a Canadian team that's going to go to San Salvador expecting three points, and they're going to leave with nothing less.
Prediction: Canada (-115)
Over/Under analysis
Seven of Canada's 10 qualifiers thus far have ended with two goals or fewer because, I'll be damned, this is one good counter-attacking team. Their attacking outlets — Tajon Buchanan, Cyle Larin, Jonathan David — speak for themselves, but the defensive shape and stability have been proved consistently. Not to mention Milan Borjan, Canada's 34-year-old keeper who has proven to be as good at the subtle tricks of CONCACAF as he is at stopping shots.
So, let's check one thing off this analysis: We are expecting a sixth clean sheet for Borjan and Canada in qualifying on Wednesday against El Salvador.
Wednesday's hosts have taken on a program-wide commitment to playing expansive, attacking soccer, and we saw glimpses of a thrilling and dangerous team in last summer's Gold Cup. It hasn't, however, translated to qualifying. El Salvador have scored just six goals in 10 games, the second-fewest in CONCACAF, and just one above lowly Honduras (who they beat 2-0 on Sunday). They've been held out fives team in 10 games, including the previous meeting with Canada.
We shouldn't, however, anticipate Canada to tear El Salvador apart on the other end, either. On the road against a team trying to play on the front foot, Canada will no doubt quite happily sit back and maintain a strong defensive shape, waiting for the right time to pounce. That may not prove as profitable as it has been previously — like in Canada's 3-0 win over this same opponent in September.
Davies' absence obviously plays into that, with the Bayern youngster as good of a counter-attacking outlet as there is in the world. More prominently, squad rotation should play a part too, as the squad flies back to Central America for the second time in the space of a week. David has put in two unbelievably hard-working shifts in two starts this window, and his ingenuity off the ball and skill on the ball is crucial to Canada's counters. The same goes for Tajon Buchanan, who appeared to run out of steam at the end of a tireless effort against the USA in a two-way role.
Canada should win in a fairly straightforward manner in El Salvador but it won't be quite as decisive as the previous meeting.
Prediction: Under 2.5 (-195)
Best bet
Just last Thursday, the USA were -500 to beat El Salvador in Columbus. Fast forward to Wednesday, and Canada can be had for -115 to beat this same team. Canada have proven to be a better team than the USA over their last three meetings, so is home advantage worth that much? Central America trips are difficult in CONCACAF, but no.
Canada are rolling right now, with five consecutive wins in qualifying, and just got a confidence-boosting victory over Honduras in San Pedro Sula. That game proved just how dangerous they can be on the road against lesser opposition, happily conceding possession and creating high-quality chances on the break. That formula should be made even more threatening against El Salvador, who are more likely to play open than Honduras — but will be without midfield destroyer Brayan Landaverde due to a suspension.
In every area of the pitch, Canada are superior to El Salvador. They are flying off a momentous win over the U.S. and looking to end an already successful window on a high. The only reason to think Canada won't win in El Salvador is because they haven't yet won consecutive Central America trips. This is a Canada team that has broken the mold, so count on another first for the Canadians on Wednesday.
Pick: Canada (-115)
