Jamaica will look to keep their undefeated record against Guadeloupe intact when they face them at the Gold Cup on Friday from Exploria Stadium in Orlando.

The Reggae Boyz began the competition with a 2-0 win over Suriname, while the Gwada Boys suffered a 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica.

Match preview

Playing in their first Gold Cup match in 10 years, Monday was not the way that Guadeloupe wanted to mark their return to this competition, conceding after only six minutes and finding themselves on their heels from that point on against the Costa Ricans.

When you look at the Guadeloupeans on paper, it probably came as no surprise to most that they were dominated the way they were in their opener, with only 37% possession and Costa Rica showing their superiority in front of goal, scoring twice after only 21 minutes.

Guadeloupe manager Jocelyn Angloma, an outstanding French defender back in the 1990s, has a big challenge ahead of him, getting his players, consisting primarily of amateurs, to find a way to upset a side in Jamaica who are unbeaten in their last 10 group stage matches at the Gold Cup.

If this team are to pull off an upset, it might be a good idea for them not to fall behind, as they have not won a match in over two years when conceding the opening goal.

With only eight professionals on the national side at this competition, blending youth and experience has been a tough act to balance for this team, and it is one that they hope they can get right on Friday.

While Guadeloupe started their opening match on the wrong foot, Theodore Whitmore saw his Jamaicans get off to the perfect start, taking the lead with their first shot on target versus Suriname after only six minutes.

They may have started the match the way he wanted them to, but Whitmore could not have been pleased with how his side responded after taking the lead, as they appeared complacent, and Suriname should have equalised shortly after falling behind.

In the end, Jamaica got the victory, but there are some things that the Reggae Boyz need to improve on defensively, as they gave Suriname some great scoring chances - chances that against a stronger opponent could have dramatically changed the complexion of that match.

All that aside, a win is a win, and Jamaica were able to snap their four-match winless streak and put themselves in a solid position to potentially clinch a spot in the quarter-finals with a victory on Friday and the right result from the other match.

Knowing that they will have to face a side which they have not beaten in over a decade in their final group game, Costa Rica, the Jamaicans will not want to wait until that fixture to decide their fate in this group.

We should, therefore, see a very determined team come out on Friday, knowing that a win will likely be enough to see them through to the knockout stage.

Team News

Centre-back Steve Solvet will not be available for this match after being red-carded in the 54th minute versus Costa Rica on Monday, so look for Thomas Pineau to start in his place.

Raphael Mirval moved into fourth place all-time in goals for Guadeloupe after firing home the only goal for his side late into injury time in the first half versus Los Ticos.

After being the hero in their penalty shootout victory against Guatemala, goalkeeper Yohann Thuram made a horrible mistake in the early stages of their game on Monday, spilling a through-ball that looked fairly routine, leading to the opening goal from Joel Campbell.

Shamar Nicholson scored his third career goal at the Gold Cup for Jamaica, while goalkeeper Andre Blake stopped all three shots that he faced for his first international clean sheet since a 2-0 win over Aruba in the CONCACAF Nations League back in October 2019.

Fulham striker Bobby Reid scored his second career international goal for his country, as the striker from Bristol started his first match for Jamaica since November 2019.

Philadelphia Union striker Cory Burke played less than 20 minutes in their opener as a second-half substitute, and he is still seeking his first-ever goal in this competition, scoring five times in 18 international appearances.

Guadeloupe possible starting lineup:
Thuram; Irep, Pineau, Baron, Casimir, Alphonse; Annette, Saint-Maximin, Tille; Romagen, Mirval

Jamaica possible starting lineup:
Blake; Powell, Lowe, Moore, Lawrence; Fisher, Turgott, Williams; Nicholson, Reid, Burke

We say: Guadeloupe 0-2 Jamaica

Historically Guadeloupe have only ever scored once against the Reggae Boys in four previous meetings against them, and this team, while hard-working, are struggling to find a solid rhythm with such a vast mix of professionals and amateurs.

The Jamaicans got a huge wake-up call in their match against Suriname about the importance of never getting too cocky, and that should serve them well moving forward in this competition.

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