The first of two friendlies in three days between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago takes place Thursday at Montego Bay Sports Complex.
In their previous encounter, the Reggae Boyz were beaten 4-2 by the USA, exiting that CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final tied 5-2 on aggregate, while TNT lost a friendly to Saudi Arabia 2-1 in December.
Match preview
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Following their exit from the Nations League, Steve McClaren's focus will be squarely on preparing the Jamaicans for the next World Cup qualifying cycle with these upcoming two matches against TNT.
After two qualification fixtures, Jamaica are tied with Guatemala for first in their group, each with six points, claiming narrow victories over the Dominican Republic (1-0) and Dominica (3-2).
The Reggae Boys ended 2024 on a three-match losing run across all competitions, with two of those encounters taking place on their home soil.
They have had difficulty finding the back of the net lately, particularly at home, without a single goal scored in their three Nations League fixtures played last year in Jamaica.
At the same time they are unbeaten in their previous four competitive fixtures versus sides outside North America, conceding just one time over that stretch.
Jamaica are unbeaten in four of their previous five meetings against the Soca Warriors, winning 4-1 the last time they met at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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It was a less-than-ideal start for Dwight Yorke as manager of Trinidad and Tobago in December, with the ex-Premier League striker only being appointed as the new boss the month prior.
The nation's most famous footballer, who won three Premier League titles at Manchester United, plus a Champions League crown, inherits a side that have won just won of their previous five international games (3-1 over Cuba).
Yorke was a part of the only Trinidad side to qualify for a World Cup in 2006, and his current team find themselves second in Group B of their 2026 cycle, a point above Saint Kitts and Nevis for a place in the third round.
While the men's team have had a mixture of good and poor results recently, they have not lost consecutive international fixtures since the 2023 Gold Cup when they were beaten in their final two group games of that tournament.
Since thrashing the Bahamas 7-1 in June 2024, Trinidad and Tobago are winless in three consecutive away matches, conceding a combined nine goals over that stretch.
The last time they visited Montego Bay, the Soca Warriors came away with a 1-0 victory in March 2023, their first triumph over Jamaica since November 2013 (2-0).
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Team News
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West Ham striker Michail Antonio remains sidelined for the Jamaican team since being involved in a car accident in December, with captain Andre Blake, Leon Bailey and Shamar Nicholson among the other notable omissions for this window.
There are several players earning their first call-ups for Jamaica this week, such as Warner Brown, Joshua Grant, Shamar Watson and Robino Gordon.
As for Trinidad and Tobago, Yorke added a mix of youth, like teenagers Derrell Garcia and Lindell Sween, to go along with experienced players like Joevin Jones, Aubrey David and Kevin Molino.
Meanwhile, Marvin Phillip was called up after missing their Nations League games last year, with Nathaniel James and Tyrese James also figuring into the squad this time around.
Jamaica possible starting lineup:
Waite; Gordon, King, Cummings, Ainsworth; Phillips, Anglin, Green, Watson; Brown, Biggs
Trinidad and Tobago possible starting lineup:
Phillip; Williams, J. Garcia, Jack, Hospedales; James, Powder; Molina, Jones, Sween; D. Garcia
We say: Jamaica 1-1 Trinidad and Tobago
Plenty of players on both sides will be eager to make an impression with their respective senior squads, but neither have a decisive edge in what might be more of a training session than an actual match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
