The inaugural Gold Cup journey for Saint Kitts and Nevis will end on Sunday when they face Jamaica in their final group stage encounter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

On matchday two, the Jamaicans earned their first victory of the year, defeating Trinidad and Tobago 4-1, while the Sugar Boyz were officially eliminated when they were clobbered 6-0 by the USA.

Match preview

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At long last, Heimir Hallgrimsson has his first victory as the Jamaican coach, with his side looking especially dangerous down the flanks on Wednesday.

That triumph has them in a much better position to qualify for the knockout stage for a fifth successive Gold Cup campaign, needing a draw or a defeat by fewer than three goals this weekend to advance.

They did lose 3-0 in a pair of friendlies last year and also suffered a 4-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Canada, which should serve as a reminder to them not to look too far ahead.

Jamaica have failed to win their final group stage encounter at this tournament on three successive occasions, with their last such victory coming over El Salvador, 1-0 in 2015 and should they emerge victorious this weekend, they would finish this portion of the Gold Cup with seven points, their highest total since that aforementioned year.

First place is also still a possibility, though they might have to be ruthless in front of goal and run up the score this weekend to overtake the Americans, as the US currently have a +6 goal differential, with the Jamaicans at +3.

They have never lost to Saint Kitts and Nevis in 10 previous meetings, winning the last encounter by a score of 3-1 in April 2018.

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In their first appearance at the Gold Cup, Saint Kitts and Nevis are discovering just how far they still have to go when it comes to competing with the elite CONCACAF nations.

On matchday two, Austin Huggins saw a side that looked intimidated and unsure about what to do against the reigning champions, as they trailed 4-0 at half time, while suffering their worst defeat since falling 8-0 to Mexico in a 2004 World Cup qualifier.

Should they fail to find the back of the net this weekend, the Sugar Boyz would become the first team since Cuba and Nicaragua in 2019 to end the group stage of this competition without a goal.

Saint Kitts have allowed nine goals in just two group fixtures, seven more than they had conceded in two qualifying fixtures to gain entry into this competition.

Another loss by this team on Sunday would be the first time that Saint Kitts had failed to earn a single point in a continental tournament since dropping all three group fixtures in 1999 at the now-defunct Caribbean Cup.

Their best result against the Reggae Boyz was a pair of draws, the last one being at the Triangular Tournament in 2001 (0-0).

Team News

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Hallgrimsson went with a very different backline to begin their match against Trinidad and Tobago, with Damion Lowe being the only one who kept his place in the starting 11 as Javain Brown, Di'Shon Bernard and Kemar Lawrence replaced Amari'i Bell, Dexter Lembikisa and Adrian Mariappa.

On what was his 27th birthday, Demarai Gray notched a brace on Wednesday, with Leon Bailey and Dujuan Richards also netting, with the latter putting home his first internationally, while Andre Blake picked up the victory.

Gray has two goals in two appearances for the Reggae Boyz, Michail Antonio scored three times in 2022 World Cup qualifying but is without a goal internationally since January of last year, while Kaheem Parris is the only Jamaican striker at this tournament who has yet to score a goal with the Reggae Boyz.

From matchday one to two, we saw two changes made to the Saint Kitts starting 11 as Gerard Williams and Tyquan Terrell replaced Yohannes Mitchum and Omari Sterling-James.

Carlos Bertie is one appearance away from reaching 20 after replacing the aforementioned Williams in the second half this week, while Mervin Lewis came on for Jameel Ible to claim his 19th international cap.

Julani Archibald was under siege throughout the match against the USA, stopping nine of the 15 efforts against him, while Rowan Liburd has yet to feature in this competition.

Jamaica possible starting lineup:
Blake; Brown, Lowe, Pinnock, Lawrence; Reid, Russell, Gray; Antonio, Bailey, Parris

Saint Kitts and Nevis possible starting lineup:
Archibald; Roberts, Maynard, G. Williams, Hanley; Sawyers, Burley, Somersall; T. Williams, Freeman, Bertie

We say: Jamaica 5-0 Saint Kitts and Nevis

Unlike most squads at this tournament, Jamaica have brought in most of their top-end talent and given that first place is still up for grabs, they might have to be cold blooded in front of goal this weekend.

Saint Kitts rarely seem to be able to string together even three passes as they have been overwhelmed by the array of talent they are facing, while they have shown little quality when in possession themselves.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Joel Lefevre

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