A pair of debutants at this level of the CONCACAF Nations League will square off on Friday as French Guiana and Nicaragua open up their new campaigns at Dr Edmard Lama Municipal Stadium.
Both sides were promoted out of League B a year ago, with Les Yana Dokos finishing a point above Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while the Nicaraguans cruised to a comfortable first-place finish in their group, going undefeated along the way.
Match preview
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After three campaigns in League B, French Guiana ascended the CONCACAF table, coming on strong down the stretch of the previous Nations League season.
Jean-Claude Darcheville's men started the previous campaign slowly, claiming one point from their first two fixtures and going without a goal, but they claimed nine points from their final three contests to edge out Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for a promotion.
In three previous Nations League campaigns, French Guiana have only suffered one defeat at Dr Edmard Lama Municipal Stadium, losing 1-0 to Belize last September, but winning their next two matches played there by a combined margin of 6-2.
Their three victories in the group phase of League B last year occurred when they scored first, while they lost their two encounters in which they conceded the opener.
French Guiana have never lost their opening game in any Nations League campaign and have not conceded a single time on matchday one of this tournament.
Friday will be the first time they meet Nicaragua on the international stage, and Les Yana Dokos have won three of their four Nations League home meetings against Central American opposition, with their only defeat coming versus Belize last year (2-0).
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A year after losing a place in League A due to using an illegal player, Nicaragua left no doubt whatsoever in their 2023-24 Nations League campaign.
Marco Antonio Figueroa's side went unbeaten in this tournament last year, winning five of their six encounters and conceding only once.
The Nicaraguans come into this fixture riding a three-match unbeaten run across all competitions, winning their two second-round World Cup qualifiers by a combined margin of 8-1.
Over the past two Nations League seasons, Nicaragua have not lost a single game away from home, boasting a 100% record as the visitors in this tournament a year ago.
Their only two defeats in three combined Nations League seasons occurred when they conceded the opening goal, while they have not won a single time in this competition when doing so.
La Azul y Blanco have never lost a Nations League encounter versus a Caribbean opponent but were beaten in a friendly against Cuba earlier this year (1-0).
Team News
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French Guiana defender Jean-David Legrand can collect his 31st international cap on Friday, which would put him even with Marvin Torvic and Serge Lesperance for fourth all-time, while Loic Baal has a chance to equal Kevin Rimane, Gregory Lescot and Albert Ajaiso for the seventh-most appearances in national team history should he feature in this one.
In their previous Nations League fixture, goals from Baal, Ajaiso and Joel Sarrucco enabled them to defeat Bermuda 3-0, with Marvin Golitin collecting a clean sheet in place of Auxerre's first-choice goalkeeper Donovan Leon.
On Friday, Jaime Moreno can collect his 39th cap for Nicaragua, drawing even with Denis Espinoza and Luis Copete for seventh in team history, while record cap holder Josue Quijano is five away from 100.
Moreno scored his 12th international goal for this team in their convincing 4-0 victory over Belize in June, with Bancy Hernandez netting a brace and record goalscorer Juan Barrera putting home his 25th with Los Pinoleros.
French Guiana possible starting lineup:
Leon; Colino, Gaubert, Ajaiso, Legrand; Nemeouthe, Lo. Baal, Florentine, Lu. Baal, Atchaliso; Abelinti
Nicaragua possible starting lineup:
M. Rodriguez; Quijano, Fletes, Cano, Perez, P. Rodriguez; Belli, Barrera, Hernandez; Moreno, Coronel
We say: French Guiana 1-3 Nicaragua
Some solid team play from Nicaragua on the back end and in the attacking third has enabled them to achieve consistent results in the Nations League, and we expect that will carry them past French Guiana, who have not shown the same kind of consistency from one match to the next.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
