The CONCACAF Nations League continues to its second matchday on Tuesday when Trinidad and Tobago host French Guiana, with both nations going in search of their first points in League A Group B.
The hosts will be looking to bounce back after a resounding defeat, and the visitors will be sore having lost their opening game in the final seconds.
Match preview
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Trinidad and Tobago come into this game on the back of a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Honduras, with goals from Alexander Lopez, Kervin Arriaga, Edwin Rodriguez and David Ruiz resigning them to a hefty opening-game defeat.
Trinidad and Tobago did however have a successful Nations League tournament last time around as they finished second in League A Group A; only one point behind table-topping Panama, but this was with their previous head coach Angus Eve.
Eve parted ways with Trinidad and Tobago after almost three years at the helm and he was recently replaced by Derek King, who could not have wished to get off to a worse start than the 4-0 defeat against Honduras.
However, with French Guiana coming up and then a double-header against 167th-ranked Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago can still bounce back from the Honduras defeat and have a successful tournament if they manage to get their Nations League campaign up and running here.
The hosts are currently 100th in the FIFA rankings and a good showing in this tournament could well see King's side jump a few places higher, but it will be a tall order to see them reclaim their lofty position of 25th that the country rose to back in 2001.
French Guiana meanwhile are debutants at this level of the Nations League having been promoted out of League B last year, and it will be interesting to see how they manage this higher level of opposition.
French Guiana had not played a competitive game between November 2023 and Friday's 1-0 home defeat against Nicaragua, when Widman Talavera's last-gasp winner left the hosts with nothing to show after a spirited performance.
Jean-Claude Darcheville's side showed that they are no pushovers though, and although they do not have a FIFA ranking or any household names in their ranks, they have had noteworthy victories over the likes of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Bermuda over the last year.
They have however lost twice and drawn once in their three previous meetings with Trinidad and Tobago, so they will need to turn around recent history if they are to secure a surprise win here.
Team News
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Midfielder Ajani Fortune and forward Levi Garcia were both unavailable for Trinidad and Tobago's last outing, and the pair are expected to once again miss out here.
Elsewhere, Nathaniel James came off the bench in the Honduras defeat, and the forward could lead the line ahead of Ryan Telfer should the manager opt to freshen up his attacking line.
For French Guiana, it will be interesting to see if the manager opts to make some changes as he does have a fully-fit squad at his disposal.
Any changes are likely to be in the midfield or attacking areas though, with Dany Florentine and Joel Sarrucco hoping for starts having made appearances from the bench in the last game.
Trinidad and Tobago possible starting lineup:
Smith; Jones, David, Garcia; Gill, Rampersad, Gilbert, Raymond; Moore, Yeates, James
French Guiana possible starting lineup:
Leon; Colino, Letard, Lescot, Gaillou; Baal, Florentine; Haabo, Sarrucco, Marmot; Abelinti
We say: Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 French Guiana
Trinidad and Tobago will be desperate to bounce back after their heavy opening-day defeat against Honduras, and with two games in quick succession, the lack of competitive match sharpness of French Guiana could prove to be a decisive factor in the result here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Nathan Hunter
