For the second time in four days, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba will face each other in a CONCACAF Nations League fixture, with this meeting occurring at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Scarborough on Monday.
These teams played to a 2-2 draw on Thursday, giving the Soca Warriors two points in League A Group B, one fewer than the Cubans, who are third in the table.
Match preview
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A season on from their improbable run to the quarter-finals of this competition, lighting has yet to strike twice for Trinidad and Tobago.
Derek King is still seeking his first victory as caretaker manager of this team, with TNT claiming a single point in each of their last two encounters.
Their draw on Thursday ended a two-match goalscoring drought, though they are already eliminated from this competition and need a win to avoid being relegated to League B.
Only three times in their League A history have the Soca Warriors drawn first blood, while they have failed to win in two of those encounters.
TNT had a 100% home record in the Nations League last season, though they could only manage a 0-0 draw at home to French Guiana in their second group game this time around.
The Soca Warriors have not lost any of their previous four matches against the Cubans in normal time, winning 2-0 the last time they met at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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It was an unfamiliar position for Cuba on matchday three as they were behind after eight minutes but managed to fight back on two occasions and claim a point.
That early deficit forced Yunielys Castillo to employ a more attacking approach than we are accustomed to seeing from him, and they scored multiple goals in a game for the first time since the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup (4-2 defeat versus Canada).
To avoid dropping down into League B, the Cubans need to avoid defeat on matchday four, while a win, combined with a Honduras loss and a four-goal swing, would propel them into the knockout phase for the first time.
Cuba have never won an away contest in League A of this tournament, failing to find the back of the net on each of those occasions.
Los Leones del Caribe have a chance on Monday to finish a League A campaign undefeated for the first time, claiming three successive draws so far this season.
This team have not beaten the Soca Warriors in Trinidad and Tobago since a 3-1 victory in a 2003 Gold Cup qualification fixture.
Team News
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TNT goalkeeper Denzil Smith suffered a knock in their previous game and was replaced by Adrian Foncette, while Kevin Molino played his first match since coming out of international retirement, replacing Noah Powder with fewer than 20 minutes remaining.
Sheldon Bateau notched the opening goal for the Soca Warriors on matchday two, with their other strike coming courtesy of Joevin Jones.
On matchday three, six Cuban players, including Orlando Calvo, Karel Perez, Karel Espino, Alejandro Delgado, Dairon Reyes, and Maikel Reyes, maintained their place in the starting 11.
Aniel Casanova scored his first international goal in his first appearance for the senior squad on Thursday, with Reyes netting the other one, his 12th for the national team.
Trinidad and Tobago possible starting lineup:
Foncette; Bateau, David, J. Garcia; Telfer, Powder, Rampersad, Hodge; J. Jones; Molino, Lee
Cuba possible starting lineup:
Arozarena; Calvo, Cavafe, Morejon, Delgado; Espino; Diaz, D. Reyes, K. Perez, Matos; M. Reyes
We say: Trinidad and Tobago 1-1 Cuba
Neither side have been all that decisive throughout 90 minutes, and we do not believe either one possesses enough quality to emerge victorious from this encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
