Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Preview: Canada vs. Jamaica - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 November 2023, 17:44
Canada can book a place at the 2024 Copa America next year if they can avoid defeat on Tuesday at BMO Field when they host Jamaica in the second leg of that CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final tie.

A late goal in each half of the opening encounter in Kingston over the weekend powered the Canucks to a 2-1 victory, putting them within reach of a second successive semi-final appearance in this competition.

Match preview

The delay of their opening leg did not deter the Canadians on Saturday as Mauro Biello collected his first victory as interim boss.

That was the first away victory for Les Rouges in Jamaica since 1988, though Canada are now a perfect 3-0 against Caribbean nations in this competition.

Biello picked an experienced side for this tie, and that seemed to carry them through this past weekend as they showed character to fight back after conceding a controversial equaliser, scoring beyond the 85th minute for a third successive encounter in all competitions.

Canada have a 100% record all-time in Nations League home fixtures, conceding just once in four matches while outscoring their opponents 12-1 in three of those games which took place at BMO Field.

They are unbeaten in their last 29 matches when scoring multiple times within 90 minutes, winning in 27 of those instances.

Les Rouges have not lost to a Caribbean opponent on North American soil in over four years since Haiti came back to beat them 3-2 in the 2019 Gold Cup quarter-finals.

It was another slow start for the Reggae Boyz on Saturday, one which they could not overcome this time as they suffered their first-ever defeat in the Nations League.

That was the third time at this tournament this season that they had conceded the opening goal, extending their winless run against North American sides to 14 matches in all competitions.

They have lost their last two quarter-final encounters versus North American opponents and are winless against that region in their previous eight CONCACAF tournaments since a 2-1 triumph versus Canada at the 2017 Gold Cup.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's men have won both of their Nations League encounters this season when scoring in the opening half, though five of their seven goals conceded have occurred within the first 45 minutes of play.

The Reggae Boyz have followed up their previous two international defeats with victories and have not lost consecutive games versus CONCACAF opponents since early 2022 when they were beaten on three successive occasions from late January to early February against Mexico (2-1), Panama (3-2) and Costa Rica (1-0).

Jamaica have never won a game on Canadian soil, while they have lost their last three matches played against the Canucks at BMO Field by a combined score of 9-1.

Canada CONCACAF Nations League form:

W

Canada form (all competitions):

D

D

W

L

L

W

Jamaica CONCACAF Nations League form:

W

D

W

W

L

Jamaica form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

D

L

Advert - content below:

Team News

Milan Borjan picked up his 79th cap for the Canadians on Saturday, putting him two behind Dwayne De Rosario for fifth all-time, Jonathan Osorio made his 70th appearance and Tajon Buchanan was in the starting 11 for the first time since their 2-0 triumph over Panama in the semi-finals of the previous Nations League campaign.

Samuel Piette remains on 67 caps, one fewer than Lyndon Hooper for ninth all-time, while Steven Vitoria is four away from 50, Richie Laryea is three behind that mark and Alphonso Davies needs seven more caps to reach that milestone.

Jonathan David notched his 26th goal in Canadian colours, two shy of the all-time mark held by teammate Cyle Larin, while Stephen Eustaquio put home the winner, his fourth for the Canucks and his first in over two years.

Hallgrimsson went with an entirely different starting 11 from their previous match when they played Guatemala to a 0-0 draw in a friendly earlier this month with Javain Brown, who features at club level for the Vancouver Whitecaps, being the only Jamaican to play in both of those games, replacing Dexter Lembikisa late in the second half on Saturday.

Andre Blake has conceded multiple strikes in his last four competitive matches between the sticks for Jamaica, while Michail Antonio is still searching for his first goal at the Nations League and has not found the back of the net for the national team since January 2022.

Shamar Nicholson had their only goal over the weekend, netting for a third successive time in this competition, while Demarai Gray did not feature in their previous encounter after scoring in their last two Nations League fixtures before that.

Canada possible starting lineup:

Borjan; Johnston, Cornelius, Adekugbe; Laryea, Eustaquio, Osorio, Davies; Buchanan, David, Larin

Jamaica possible starting lineup:

Blake; Brown, Bernard, Pinnock, Leigh; Lautibeaudiere, Johnson; Decordova-Reid, Nicholson, Bailey; Antonio

We say: Canada 2-0 Jamaica (Canada advances on aggregate)

With Eustaquio in the midfield, the Canadians seem to be able to unlock opposing defences more efficiently and facing an inconsistent backline like Jamaica, we believe Canada will be able to find a way through.

Previews by email

Top News

23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United transfer target Randal Kolo Muani is very likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to reports. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus, with Pep Guardiola keen to strengthen his struggling squad. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final Premier League gameweek before Christmas appropriately served up some crackers, including a festive feast of goals in North London, where Liverpool ran riot in an exhilarating 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window.