El Salvador vs Martinique prediction: NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA: Gold Cup betting tips on match 2023-06-26 22:30.
Fort Lauderdale may be bracing up for Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami debut in July, but the stage now is set for Group C action in the CONCACAF Gold Cup which kicks off with a game between El Salvador and Martinique. The Central Americans are making their ninth straight appearance in this competition and are looking to make it at least to the quarter-finals for the fifth time since 2011. With group favourites Costa Rica and Panama waiting in the queue, that would be quite an achievement for La Selecta, who qualified through the Nations League.
El Salvador are coming off an eight-game winless run (D3, L5), a run that contains an uninspiring double-header of Asian friendlies before this tournament (D1, L1). Yet, the 1-1 draw against better-ranked South Korea was seen as a positive step by coach Hugo Pérez, who reckoned the result was “psychologically important” before the Gold Cup.
A non-member of the FIFA federation and representing the Caribbean Islands in the group, Martinique are making their eighth Gold Cup appearance and a fourth in a row. While the heady highs of a quarter-final appearance in 2002 look tough to replicate, Les Matinino could be a tricky customer as Saint Lucia and Puerto Rico found out in the qualifiers played at this very same venue this month.
The 2-0 win against Puerto Rico saw them qualify, but proved to be “very, very stressful” for coach Marc Collat in a match that was briefly halted by lightning storms. That result continued what has been an impressive 2023 for Martinique (W2, D1, L1) whose only defeat in that run came against Costa Rica as they look to avenge their 2003 Gold Cup H2H loss (1-0).
Players to watch: Álex Roldán netted El Salvador’s latest strike meaning each of his three national goals have come in matches that saw exactly two goals scored. Likewise, Kévin Fortuné scored Martinique’s last goal that also came in a two-goal fixture, while he has the distinction of scoring the 1,000th goal of this competition.
Hot stat: Martinique have lost five of their seven Gold Cup openers (W2) conceding at least twice each time.