Trinidad & Tobago vs Saint Kitts and Nevis prediction: NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA: Gold Cup betting tips on match 2023-06-24 19:30.
While itâs a far cry from their famous FIFA World Cup jaunt of 2006, a Gold Cup finals appearance will still be welcomed by Trinidad and Tobago, who qualified automatically for this showpiece event by default after Nicaragua were expelled for fielding an ineligible player in a series of international matches. It hasnât historically been a competition the Soca Warriors have excelled in though, with just two of their last seven Gold Cup appearances seeing them advance beyond the group stage, but perhaps theyâre ready to buck that trend as boss Angus Eve reckons he currently has his âbest groupâ.
Displaying their new-found defensive solidity likely holds the key to advancing into the knockout stages, with Trinidad and Tobago conceding just a solitary goal across their last six internationals (W4, D2). Shut outs havenât always been forthcoming against Saint Kitts and Nevis, but with eight successive H2H victories, Eve would likely sacrifice a clean sheet for a continuation of that winning run.
It was a nervy ending for Saint Kitts and Nevis, who booked their Gold Cup finals spot in midweek thanks to a penalties victory against French Guiana. This tournament holds extra importance for the Dual Island, who will be partaking in their first-ever Gold Cup finals and they arrive in fine form in search of an upset, with five victories from their last six games (D1).
Continuing that run against a Trinidad and Tobago side ranked 35 places higher by FIFA wonât be easy for the Sugar Boyz, who are certainly heavy outsiders in Group A. Whatever happens here for the Gold Cup debutants, a tight affair could ensue, with three of their last five internationals ending 1-1 in regulation time, a scoreline boss Austin Huggins would likely take a repeat of to get their group stage campaign off to a positive start.
Players to watch: Any continuation of that 1-1 theme could see Trinidadâs Joevin Jones on the scoresheet, as three of his last four international scoring appearances have ended in that scoreline. One of few household names in the Saint Kitts and Nevis side, Cardiff Cityâs Romaine Sawyers has seen four of his six international scoring appearances end in wins âto nilâ for his nation.
Hot stat: Trinidad and Tobago have failed to score in four of their last six games at the Gold Cup finals.