Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao will face each other on the international stage for only the second time as they begin the new CONCACAF Nations League campaign on Thursday at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
The Soca Warriors earned a spot in League A of this competition following the disqualification of Nicaragua, while La Familia Azul maintained their place in the top tier of the Nations League despite finishing bottom of their group in 2022-23 with just three points.
Match preview
An unexpected plot twist at the end of their previous Nations League B season has put Trinidad and Tobago back in the top tier of this competition for the first time since this tournament debuted in 2019.
Nicaragua finished a point above the Soca Warriors in the table but used an ineligible player, thus eliminating them from a promotion into League A, while also giving TNT an automatic berth into the 2023 Gold Cup.
The performances of Trinidad in CONCACAF tournaments over the past few years suggests there is a lot of room for growth as the senior team lost their final two matches at the Gold Cup this summer by a combined score of 10-1, while they were knocked out in the opening round of 2022 World Cup qualifying and went winless the last time they were on the A side of the Nations League.
Despite the Gold Cup disappointment this summer, Angus Eve was still given a contract extension that will see him in charge of the national team until March 2024, with the 51-year-old vowing to widen the pool of players in Trinidad and Tobago and exposing more youngsters to these big tournaments.
Thursday will be the first time they play a match at Hasely Crawford Stadium since defeating Saint Martin 2-0 in a January friendly earlier this year, while the Soca Warriors have not lost there since 2019 (2-0 defeat versus Honduras).
They have only faced Curacao once before, and it was a memorable clash at the 2014 Caribbean Cup in a back-and-forth contest, which Trinidad ultimately won 3-2.
Making a third successive appearance in League A, this tournament will give Curacao a chance to put some past CONCACAF disappointments behind them.
In their first appearance at this tournament, the tiny island nation located in the Lesser Antilles missed out on the semi-finals by a single point but followed that up by finishing last in a group with Canada and Honduras in 2022-23, while they were eliminated in the opening round of their 2023 Gold Cup qualifying playoff versus Saint Kitts and Nevis, conceding an equaliser in the 83rd minute and losing 3-2 on penalties.
Remko Bicentini has been entrusted to take this team to the next level, having guided his home country into the Gold Cup three times before, including a trip to the quarter-finals in 2019, their best-ever finish at that tournament.
A former assistant with the Canadian national team, Bicentini also helped this team capture the final edition of the Caribbean Cup in 2017, upsetting Jamaica in the final, 2-1.
It has been over a year since this team won an encounter within 90 minutes, defeating Honduras 2-1 in the Nations League group phase last year, having failed to score in their other three matches played in that competition.
Curacao have been outscored by a margin of 9-1 in their four matches played this year but have not lost to a Caribbean opponent over 90 minutes since suffering a 2-1 defeat versus Antigua and Barbuda in a 2019 CONCACAF Nations League qualifier.
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Team News
Trinidad might be without Levi Garcia after he sustained a thigh injury with his club side AEK Athens, while Kevin Molino announced his retirement from international football recently, having scored 23 goals for the senior side.
Neveal Hackshaw, Noah Powder and Joevin Jones each had a pair of goals in their previous Nations League appearance to lead the way, while Nicklas Frenderup and Marvin Phillip each picked up a clean sheet.
A brace from Kenwyne Jones and Molino's second-half strike gave the Soca Warriors a narrow triumph in their only previous meeting versus Curacao.
Jearl Margaritha, Jaron Vicario and Nino Fancito will be seeking their first caps for Curacao this week, with the experienced Eloy Room, Jurgen Locadia, Xander Severina and Nigel Thomas being the notable absentees for La Pantera Azul.
Leandro Bacuna and Anthony van den Hurk were the only players to find the back of the net for this team at the previous Nations League tournament.
Locadia had the opening goal in the Gold Cup qualifying fixture versus Saint Kitts and Nevis, but Bacuna, Vurnon Anita and Kevin Felida all missed in the penalty shootout, eliminating them from Gold Cup contention, while Felida is the only one of those players to be selected for this encounter.
Trinidad and Tobago possible starting lineup:
Frenderup, A. Jones, Archer, Bateau, Hodge; Gill, Hackshaw; Fortune, Rampersad, J. Jones; Shaw
Curacao possible starting lineup:
Bodak; Troupee, Martina, Gaari, Lachman; L. Bacuna, J. Bacuna, Felida, Kuwas; Janga, Antonisse
We say: Trinidad and Tobago 0-0 Curacao
Both sides seem to be short on quality in the attacking third, and although Curacao are 14 places above Trinidad according to the latest FIFA world rankings, we expect the home crowd to provide a boost for the Soca Warriors in what should be a defensive showcase.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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