Bermuda?s chances of beating El Salvador on home soil may never be better than they are in this Sunday?s World Cup qualifier at the 35,000 capacity Cuscutlan stadium.

Confidence in the national team in a country where six million sports-mad inhabitants eat, drink and breathe football has plummeted to what some believe is an all-time low.

Results in the build-up to Sunday?s crucial clash have been disappointing, the squad?s star striker Quintani Illa ? a professional with DC United in the Major Soccer League ? omitted because of what Bermudians might call ?an attitude problem? and goalkeeper Juan Jose Gomez, the most experienced player in the team, ruled out through injury.

As such, a meagre crowd of just 5,000 ? far less than would attend a regular first division game ? is expected through the turnstiles.

Rodrigo Arias, a soccer columnist with El Grafico, the only all-sports daily newspaper in Central America, which yesterday devoted no less than six of its pages to Sunday?s match, admitted expectations for his country?s World Cup campaign were ?not particularly high?.

That said ?we would expect to beat a country like Bermuda,? added Arias. ?It would be a huge disappointment if we didn?t. El Salvador has not lost to any country in the Caribbean since 1969 when we were beaten by Haiti.

?But this isn?t the best national team we?ve had. All the players are professional, and they all play in El Salvador. But they are all very young, all in their early 20s and still developing.

?Football is still by far the biggest sport in El Salvador, but only the real die-hard fans will come out for Sunday?s match. If Argentina or Brazil were playing, far more people would be interested.?

Much like Bermuda, El Salvador?s lead-up to Sunday?s game has produced a mixed bag of results.

Drawing players from the country?s two all-professional divisions, the national team managed only a 1-1 draw against Panama?s youth team, eked out a 1-0 win over Paraguay?s youth team and were beaten 2-0 by a largely experimental Columbian side.

Memories from the team?s last World Cup qualifying campaign in 1997, when they were humiliated by neighbours Honduras 5-2 and 5-0, still linger.

Some would argue the team have made little progress since, although current national coach Juan Ramon Paredes led El Salvador?s youth team to a hugely surprising victory over Mexico ? on penalties ? in the final of the Central American and Caribbean Cup in 2002.

Many of the players in that side are now members of the senior squad. But it?s all a far cry from the heady heights of 1982 when, for only the second time in their history, El Salvador reached the World Cup finals.

Although that too ended in the ultimate embarrassment ? a 10-1 mauling by Hungary which still stands today as the heaviest defeat ever recorded at a World Cup finals.

Coach Paredes, who will employ a 3-4-3 system for Sunday?s match, has discarded most of his experienced players and instead put his faith in the country?s youth.

And he insists he has sufficient talent to to take the side all the way to Germany in 2006. Others are less convinced.

?He thinks this team can qualify for the finals. But the public don?t agree,? added Arias.?He?s suffered a lot of criticism from the fans and the media because of who he has selected for the team. There are no great expectations for this side.?

Meanwhile, nobody?s taking Bermuda for granted.

Much has been made in the local media of the threat posed by Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne, whose professional exploits in England have been well documented.

El Grafico?s analysis of Kenny Thompson?s squad in yesterday?s edition also singled out John Barry Nusum, Meshach Wade and Kentoine Jennings as players who could cause problems for the host country.

And while Thompson and his squad weren?t due to arrive in San Salvador until late last night, the newspaper also published what they believed would be Bermuda?s most likely starting eleven: Timmy Figureido in goal; David Thomas, Kentoine Jennings, Shannon Burgess and Stanton Lewis in defence; Khano Smith, Kyle Lightbourne, Ottis Steede and Damon Ming in midfield; and Shaun Goater and Ralph Bean up front.

?I think everybody realises Bermuda have some good players,? said Arias.

?Just because it?s a small country, we won?t be underestimating the team. I think Paredes realises it will be a tough game to win.?