The quest for a spot in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League will begin on Friday for Jamaica and Honduras, who face each other for the first time in this competition at Independence Park in Kingston.
Jamaica finished two points behind Mexico for a place in the League A semi-finals in 2022-23, while La H wound up three points behind Canada in Group C.
Match preview
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They always seem to be among the teams to beat in these CONCACAF tournaments, but Jamaica have yet to figure out how to take that final step and get their hands on an elusive continental trophy.
Making their first appearance in League A during the previous edition of this competition, the Reggae Boyz showed why they are continuously pegged as a contender for these tournaments, going unbeaten in group play.
It was a case of missed opportunities for them during the last Nations League campaign, with the Jamaicans squandering six points from winning positions, including their final two fixtures versus the Mexicans, which ultimately cost them a place in the semi-finals.
At the Gold Cup this past summer, Heimir Hallgrimsson's men seemed to run out of steam after going unbeaten in their opening three matches, losing 3-0 to Mexico in the semi-finals.
While this team have never made the knockout portion of this tournament, the Jamaicans are undefeated in Nations League play, winning two of their three matches at Independence Park, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 6-2.
Over the past decade, Jamaica have owned Honduras, going unbeaten in five successive matches against them, including four straight victories, beating La H by a 2-1 score in Kingston the last time out.
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Honduran football has been experiencing a transitional phase, and we will see what the new generation can offer, with 14 of the players chosen for this window being 25 years of age or younger.
The federation are turning to a familiar face on the sidelines to try and bring this nation back to prominence, appointing Reinaldo Rueda as the new manager in August.
Rueda guided Honduras to a place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, ending 28 years of qualification failures for Los Catrachos.
He will be the fourth national team coach since 2019 as the Colombian inherits a side that have already missed the knockout stage of the Gold Cup and Nations League this year.
Although they have not beaten Jamaica since a 2-0 triumph in June 2013, Honduras have only suffered one defeat against a Caribbean opponent in Nations League play, losing 2-1 at home to Curacao in June 2022.
La Bicolor have won all four of their Nations League encounters when leading at the half, winning only once in the history of this competition when trailing after 45 minutes (5-4 on penalties versus Costa Rica in June 2021).
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Team News
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Cory Burke and Michail Antonio were left off the Jamaican squad for this window because of minor knocks, while Renaldo Cephas and Tayvon Gray will be seeking their first caps with the Reggae Boyz.
Leon Bailey has a goal and an assist in three English Premier League (EPL) matches played this season at Aston Villa, while Demarai Gray is still seeking his first of the new EPL campaign after finishing third in that department for Everton in 2022-23 (four).
Andre Blake has started three matches between the sticks for the Reggae Boyz against La H and won them all, with Bailey and Ravel Morrison finding the mark the last time out in March 2022.
In his first game back in charge of Honduras, Rueda gave Ricky Zapata and Daniel Carter their first appearances for the national team, leaving David Ruiz, Marlon Licona and Juergen Garcia as the only players chosen for this match without an international cap.
Bryan Acosta is the most experienced player chosen for them ahead of this match with 62 career international caps, Deiby Flores is one appearance away from 30, while Andy Najar is eight caps shy of 50.
Edrick Menjivar has started the last three competitive matches between the sticks for Los Catrachos, putting him up to nine caps with the national team, collecting a clean sheet earlier this month when they played Guatemala to a 0-0 draw in the first match for Rueda on the sidelines since his reappointment.
Jamaica possible starting lineup:
Blake; Brown, Lowe, Pinnock, Bell; Bailey, Lambert, Latibeaudiere, Decordova-Reid; D. Gray, Nicholson
Honduras possible starting lineup:
Menjivar; Nunez, D. Garcia, Maldonado, Najar; Rodriguez, Acosta, Alvarez; Pinto, Palma, Lozano
We say: Jamaica 2-0 Honduras
It is difficult to envision the Jamaican unbeaten run in this competition ending against a side who are going through a rebuilding process, and the experience and overall quality of the Reggae Boyz should propel them to a comfortable victory on Friday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
