Making their first appearance in the top tier of the CONCACAF Nations League, Guyana will host Suriname on Thursday at the Synthetic Track and Field Facility in Leonora.
Last year, the Golden Jaguars were promoted from League B by finishing three points above Puerto Rico to top their group, while A-Selectie avoided relegation from League A by claiming five points in their four group fixtures, winding up two points above Haiti.
Match preview
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After an impressive campaign in League B a year ago, Guyana will face some of the more experienced sides that this region has to offer in 2024-25.
The Guyanese are currently ranked 154th by FIFA and will play in a group featuring Costa Rica, Guatemala, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Suriname, needing a top-two finish to advance into the knockout phase and a top-four place to avoid relegation and claim a spot in the Gold Cup preliminary qualifiers.
Under the guidance of Jamal Shabazz, they won all five of their League B fixtures last year, finishing with a +15-goal differential, the second highest behind Nicaragua (+16).
Guyana come into this encounter having won their previous World Cup qualifier versus Belize in June (3-1), putting them third in Group D, three points behind Nicaragua and Panama for a place in round three.
Four of their six Nations League contests at the Synthetic Track and Field Facility have resulted in a victory for Guyana, including their only match played in Leonora last year when they came from behind the Bahamas 3-2.
In League B, the Golden Jaguars came from behind to win three of their 2023 matches when conceding the opener, with nine of their 15 points coming from a losing position.
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Suriname head into a new Nations League campaign in high spirits on the back of two convincing victories in World Cup qualifying, defeating Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (4-1) and Anguilla (4-0) to sit top of their second-round group.
Since the appointment of Stanley Menzo in March, this side have yet to lose in three matches played across all competitions, outscoring their three opponents by a combined margin of 9-2.
Natio have only suffered one defeat in their previous seven matches played across all competitions, and that 1-0 loss to Cuba on matchday two of the previous Nations League season may have cost them a place in the knockout phase, as they wound up two points below Honduras for a spot in the quarter-finals.
At this tournament a year ago, a slow start proved costly for the side from the West Indies, who failed to win their first three matches before a convincing 4-1 triumph in their final Nations League affair versus Grenada.
That victory was the only one this team have had in eight total League A fixtures, while they have yet to win a Nations League encounter outside of Suriname in the top tier.
They have triumphed in their previous two meetings with Guyana, but Suriname have not won an away match against them since June 2008, when they claimed a 2-1 victory in a World Cup qualifying fixture at Providence Stadium.
Team News
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Shabazz selected numerous players who feature domestically in Guyana, including three members of Slingerz FC, Curtez Kellman, Leo Lovell and Akel Clarke.
Meanwhile, there are several players that EFL fans will be familiar with, such as Elliot Bonds, Stephen Duke-McKenna and Liam Gordon, who all play in League Two with Cheltenham Town, Harrogate Town and Walsall respectively, while Terence Vancooten plays in League One for Burton Albion.
In their victory over Belize, Deon Moore had a brace, and Gordon netted the winner to put this team back in the hunt for a top-two spot in their World Cup qualification group.
Six Suriname players are available for this match who have yet to earn a senior cap, including Delano Burgzorg, Dylan Vente, Denzel Jubitana, Liam van Gelderen, Silvinho Esajas and Jonathan Fonkel.
Three players selected for this window currently feature in the EFL Championship, including Middlesbrough teammates Burgzorg and Anfernee Dijksteel, along with Kenneth Paal of Queens Park Rangers.
Striker Gleofilo Vlijter will become the record goalscorer for the men's program with his next strike, currently sitting even with Stefano Rijssel at 14, while Etienne Vaessen has started both matches between the sticks for them in World Cup qualifying in place of Warner Hahn, with the FC Groningen keeper only conceding once in those two career senior appearances.
Guyana possible starting lineup:
McKenzie-Lyle; Lovell, J. Jones, Vancooten, Gordon; Ferguson, Bonds, Moriah-Welsh, Duke-McKenna; Moore, I. Jones
Suriname possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Dijksteel, Abena, Denswil, Haps; Lonwijk, Pherai, Paal, Misidjan; Vlijter, Becker
We say: Guyana 0-2 Suriname
Under Menzo, Suriname are playing with a lot more freedom, while his aggressive approach seems to have unlocked the potential of numerous players, and we believe their overall quality could be too much for an inexperienced Guyana side to handle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
