Suriname and Grenada will both go in search of first wins of the CONCACAF Nations League campaign on Sunday, when they do battle in Paramaribo.
Following a 1-1 draw with Haiti on Thursday, the hosts sit on two points from their three games; while their visitors are a point worse off after their defeat to Jamaica, having both already succumbed to relegation to League B.
Match preview
Following a tough CONCACAF Nations League campaign in League A Group A last time around, in which they managed a single point in a difficult group alongside Mexico and Jamaica, Suriname set out for an improved showing this year, initially heading into the competition on the back of a brief stay in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June.
Their standing in Group A of the Nations League granted the Natio a place in the first round of this year's Gold Cup qualifying, and they met Puerto Rico in Florida and fell just short of advancing, as the contest ended in a goalless stalemate before they were beaten in a penalty shootout.
Following that exit, Suriname began their new campaign with a trip to Grenada last month and put a point on the board in a 1-1 draw with Sunday's opponents, having drawn level through Mitchell te Vrede three minutes from time, before travelling to Cuba and leaving empty-handed as Willian Pozo-Venta netted the only goal of the game in the first half.
Aiming to bounce back from their slow start and keep their hopes of progression alive, Aron Winter's team returned to action at home to Haiti on Thursday in search of a first victory, and after going ahead through Ridgeciano Haps in the 17th minute, they had to settle for a somewhat disappointing point as Mikael Cantave levelled the scores early in the second half.
With that result and their slow start ruling them out of contention for a top two place and confirming their relegation, Suriname will bid to at least go out on a high with a first win on home soil on Sunday.
They take on a Grenada team who are also hoping to end their tough Nations League campaign with a first victory at the weekend.
Similarly to Sunday's hosts, the Spice Boys only managed one point in the 2022 CONCACAF Nations League and subsequently failed to make an impact in the Gold Cup qualifying in June under the new management of Terry Connor, meeting Granada and losing in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Turning their focus to the new campaign, Winter's men began at home to Suriname and were denied all three points late on, after Saydrel Lewis looked to have hit the decisive goal in the 85th minute, and they were unable to bounce back in the following trip to Honduras, suffering a 4-0 beating as Edwin Rodriguez netted a brace for their hosts alongside goals from Anthony Lozano and Luis Palma.
Aiming to keep their top-two hopes alive, Connor's men most recently faced a particularly difficult test at home to Jamaica on Thursday, and they were unable to upset the odds on home soil, succumbing to a 4-1 defeat despite Trevon Williams pulling it back to 2-1 on the half-hour mark, as Romario Williams, Shamar Nicholson, Demarai Gray and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all added their names to the scoresheet.
Now sitting bottom of the group with just a single point on the board and no chance of advancing further in this year's CONCACAF Nations League, the Spice Boys will bid to finish with a victory on Sunday to leapfrog their hosts.
Team News
Suriname may deploy an unchanged starting XI from their midweek draw with Haiti, although Winter does have several decisions to make, including in defence, with Kenneth Paal vying to start on the left-hand side after Ridgeciano Haps was preferred and scored last time out.
Instead, Paal may operate further forward on the wing, with Florian Josefzoon also hoping to start out wide and displace Leandro Kappel, while elsewhere, Stefano Denswil and Myenty Abena are bound to continue their centre-back partnership.
Union Berlin's Sheraldo Becker should continue to lead the line, having netted two international goals in his eight caps thus far, alongside star man Gleofilo Vlijter, who leads the current squad with 13 goals in just 19 caps.
On the contrary to their hosts, Grenada may opt to make several changes following their heavy defeat to Jamaica, with Saydrel Lewis bound to return to the starting XI in attack, having netted seven goals in 33 international caps and been an unused substitute on Thursday.
He will likely join Regan Charles-Cook in a front two, although there is further competition from the likes of Kharlton Belmar and Joshua Isaac to feature in attack.
Trevon Williams will again play a key role and offer attacking support from the midfield, while Kayden Harrack, Jacob Bedeau and Josh Gabriel will all fight to keep their places in the middle of the defence.
Suriname possible starting lineup:
Hahn; Bakboord, Abena, Denswil, Haps; Josefzoon, Leerdam, Malone, Paal; Vlijter, Becker
Grenada possible starting lineup:
Belfon; Ettienne, Harrack, Bedeau, Gabriel, Johnson; Telesford, Williams, Phillip; Charles-Cook, Lewis
We say: Suriname 1-1 Grenada
Both out of contention for qualification and hoping to finish with a victory, we see the two nations cancelling one another out in a repeat of the reverse fixture last month.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
