Guatemala vs Cuba prediction: NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA: Gold Cup betting tips on match 2023-06-27 00:45.
Guatemala are set to make their 20th appearance at a CONCACAF Gold Cup finals after finishing top of their League B group (W4, D1, L1) in the Nations League, in turn securing their first promotion to League A! Coach Luis Fernando Tena, who led Mexico to Olympic Gold in London 2012, will now look to guide Guatemala to a first victory at the Gold Cup finals since 2011 (D2, L5).
The 1967 winners arrive with ambition and confidence, laying down a marker of their intent by beating CONCACAF’s third-highest ranked nation Costa Rica 1-0 in a friendly earlier this month. A meeting with Cuba may be a golden opportunity for Los Chapines to win their opening Gold Cup finals game for the first time 1989, especially as they’ve won each of the last four H2Hs without conceding a single goal!
Cuba also head into these Gold Cup finals riding a wave of momentum having topped their Nations League group after a near-faultless campaign (W5, L1), a run that was powered by a defence that conceded just three times across those six outings. Coach Pablo Elier Sánchez recently stated his side's objective for this tournament was to advance into the knockout stages, but with Canada hotly tipped to top the group, this clash with Guatemala seems crucial to their chances of progression.
The Lions of the Caribbean may have crashed out at the group stage on their last Gold Cup finals appearance in 2019, losing all three games by a whopping aggregate score of 17-0, but they can take heart from winning the only previous H2H encounter in the competition, a 1-0 victory back in 2015, as they bid to avoid a repeat. However, few would be surprised if the early stage proves particularly painful for Cuba, after conceding three goals before the half-hour mark in their two friendly matches in June (L2).
Players to watch: Carlos Mejía could quickly make a name for himself as he seeks to replicate his game opener in the previous H2H. Cuba’s lucky charm Maikel Reyes has led his nation to victory ‘to-nil’ in seven of his eight goalscoring international appearances, including the previous Gold Cup H2H.
Hot streak: Cuba are on a run of 15 Gold Cup finals matches without a draw (W2, L13).