By the end of Wednesday Group F will have a new club in first place. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC will be playing Club Deportivo Olimpia at BC Palace. The group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) is winding down and Vancouver still has three games to play, and the club from Honduras has just two.

At the moment, Seattle Sounders FC are on top of the group, they have played three of their four matches already and only have four points. Olimpia is in second place with three points and the Whitecaps are in third with a point. Only one club from each group can advance to the quarterfinal stage and this group is currently wide open.

Vancouver has the advantage of having three games left, but a victory against Olimpia will put them on top of the group. The 'Caps will have four points with a victory on Wednesday. Regardless that Seattle has the same amount of points, their goal differential is zero. So is Olimpia’s which is the reason why the Canadian club can jump to first if they take care of business at home.

The first thing the Caps have to do is control the tempo of the game, by neutralizing Los Leones midfield.

The club from Honduras has shown that if they are given time, they will score. Olimpia has played the Sounders twice in the CCL. In the first game in Seattle Los Leones lost 2-1 on August 19th, but they did manage to take the lead. In the next game, Olimpia dominated the Rave Green. However, Seattle’s defense withstood the barrage, but in the end they lost 1-0 on August 26th.

The Whitecaps pressing Los Leones is one factor that will guide them to victory. However, the Canadian club will need to make sure that they score first and early.

It is no surprise that Olimpia will play this match with a defensive mindset and counter when they can. With young Honduran international speedsters like Alberth Elis and Anthony Lozano, playing counter ball can be lethal for the opponent. That is why scoring early is so crucial for the 'Caps; it will force Los Leones to come out of their shell which will give Vancouver more space to attack.

The Caps also need to feed of the home crowd energy. At the moment the Whitecaps are on a high right now after winning the Canadian Championship for the first time in franchise history.

Also, the Canadians are enjoying their most successful regular season in Major League Soccer (MLS). The 'Caps are in first place in the competitive Western Conference and they are also leading the race for the Supporters’ Shield.

The loyal fan base of the Whitecaps is tasting success after years of frustration. So every chance they get to see their club at home the support will be immense. This Wednesday CCL group stage match is no different.

Predicting Starting XI for the Whitecaps:  

With such an important game on the line Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson will start a strong line up against Olimpia.

GK: David Ousted

DEF: Jordan Harvey, Pa Modou Kah, Steven Beitashour and Tim Parker

MID: Pedro Morales, Christian Dean, Russell Teibert, Gershon Koffie and Matías Laba

FWD: Darren Mattocks and Octavio Rivero

Prediction: Whitecaps 2-1 Olimpia

In the cozy confides of BC Palace, the Whitecaps will dictate the pace of the game and score early. Olimpia will be forced to open up and the 'Caps will take advantage of that.