Jamaica receives Panama this Sunday in the Concacaf octagonal for the Qatar-2022 World Cup, in a duel where the Caribbean will have their Premier League stars, Leon Bailey and Michail Antonio, in front of some channel managers with good feelings.
The match to be played without an audience at Independence Park (22H00GMT) in Kingston, corresponds to the second date of the Concacaf qualifier, which grants three direct tickets and the possibility of a playoff to the Qatar World Cup.
The Reggae Boyz arrive at the meeting with the bitterness left to them on the first date by the defeat “in extremis” against Mexico (2-1) at Azteca, where they were less than 5 minutes away from starting a draw against one of the giants of the Concacaf.
The defeat caused Jamaica to be the last classified in the octagonal, led by Mexico with three points, while the rest of the teams have only one unit.
The good news for the locals is that they will be able to count on a dozen players who play the Premier League, and who were absent against Mexico due to the restrictions decreed by the British authorities due to the pandemic.
Coach Theodore Whitmore will have West Ham United attackers Michail Antonio, Aston Villa, Leon Bailey and Fulham, Bobby Reid, and Reading defender Liam Moore available to face Panama.
To achieve victory, it is expected that Jamaica will not have as conservative an approach as that shown in Mexico, where practically the entire team was dedicated to defending in their field.
For Sunday, Jamaica will be able to have speed and good ball hitting as their main weapons in attack, especially for Bailey’s direct free kicks.
It will also have the scoring nose and good header, for strategy plays, of Michail Antonio, West Ham’s all-time leading scorer, as well as the mischief and intelligence of Bobby Reid to play between the lines.
“The guys have fire in their stomach, we are motivated and we are hungry to win,” defender Damion Lowe said after losing to Mexico.
– Good sensations –
Panama arrives in Jamaica after its good presentation against Costa Rica, which it managed to annul with good combinatorial football, high pressure, advanced defense and speed in attack, with a team dominated by players who play European leagues.
However, the canaleros did not hit the opposite door and had to settle for a 0-0 that tasted like defeat, but that left a good taste in the mouth of the local fans for the game displayed.
For the duel against Jamaica, the Panama coach, the Hispanic-Danish, Thomas Christiansen, is expected to make some changes in his offense, mainly due to the attrition made by his attackers Alberto Quintero, Édgar Barcenas and José Luis Rodríguez.
The Danish likes touch football, with the ball coming out from behind and overflowing on the wings, against a rival accustomed to physical play, direct and with a defense accustomed to aerial play.
“Jamaica comes with a lot of fresh and new people from England, it’s another game, a different style, and surely there has to be another approach as well,” Christiansen said after the draw against the Ticos.
Possible lineups:
Jamaica: Andre Blake- Amarii Bell, Liam Moore, Damion Lowe, Alvas Powell- Daniel Johnson, Anthony Grant, Norman Cambell, Bobby Reid- Leon Bailey and Michail Antonio. DT: Theodore Whitmore.
Panama: Luis Mejía- Michael Murillo, Andrés Andrade, Fidel Escobar, Eric Davis- Aníbal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, César Yanis, Alberto Quintero, Édgar Bárcenas- Cecilio Waterman.
Referee: Ismael Cornejo (El Salvador). (AFP)