Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s CONCACAF Nations League clash between Martinique and Guadeloupe, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Martinique and Guadeloupe will face off for the second time in a matter of days when they go head-to-head in Tuesday’s clash in the CONCACAF Nations League.
The hosts are sitting in fourth spot with four points to their name, while Guadeloupe are one point adrift in fifth position.
Match preview
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Having taken four points from three matches, Martinique head into the final matchday knowing there is a possibility they could secure a top-two spot or suffer relegation to League A.
They failed to win either of their two games in the September international window, losing 3-1 away to Guatemala before fighting back from two goals down to take a point off Guyana.
Marc Collat‘s side looked set to play out another draw in Friday’s away clash with Guadeloupe until Brighton Labeau netted an 86th-minute winner to snatch all three points.
That win leaves them one point above the bottom two and one point adrift of second place, and as a result, Tuesday’s hosts know that another win will secure survival and give them the best possible chance of advancing to the quarter-finals.
Martinique have a mixed home record in the Nations League, having won two, drawn four and lost one of their seven home games in the competition.
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Guadeloupe are currently languishing in the relegation zone after winning one and losing two of their three matches in the current Nations League campaign.
Jocelyn Angloma‘s side fell to a heavy 3-0 away defeat in their opening game against Costa Rica, before they bounced back with a narrow 1-0 win over Suriname thanks to Jordan Leborgne‘s 67th-minute effort.
Unfortunately for Guadeloupe, they found themselves on the wrong side of a 1-0 scoreline in Friday’s clash against Martinique, with the result ending a run of four consecutive home victories in the Nations League.
Relegation-threatened Guadeloupe know that a win on Tuesday will guarantee them safety and could even put them in the frame for a quarter-final spot.
While they will be desperate to avoid a demotion to League B, Guadeloupe have struggled for consistency in recent Nations League away trips, having won three and lost four of their previous five away games in the competition.
Martinique CONCACAF Nations League form:
Martinique form (all competitions):
Guadeloupe CONCACAF Nations League form:
Guadeloupe form (all competitions):
Team News
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Martinique have to cope without the services of Harold Voyer after the defender was forced off in the first half of Friday’s win.
Jonathan Rivierez replaced Voyer in the 26th minute, and he is now in contention to start Tuesday’s home fixture.
After scoring in his last two internationals, Guingamp’s Labeau will continue to lead the line for the final group match, with the striker looking to add to the seven goals he has scored for his country.
Meanwhile, Guadeloupe manager Jocelyn Angloma may keep faith with an unchanged lineup despite seeing his side fall to a narrow defeat on Friday.
Andrew Gravillon and Nathanael Saintini will review their central defensive partnership, while Christian Senneville and Jerome Roussillon are set to operate as the two full-backs.
CSKA Sofia’s Matthias Phaeton will offer one of the visitors’ main attacking threats, having scored 11 goals in 27 international appearances.
Martinique possible starting lineup:
Clementia; Rivierez, Moltenis, Rapnouil; Varane, Moutachy, Mandouki, Biron; Fabien, Porsan-Clemente, Labeau
Guadeloupe possible starting lineup:
Cognard; Senneville, Gravillon, Saintini, Roussillon; Baron, Leborgne, Solvet, Cadiou; Ambrose, Phaeton
We say: Martinique 2-1 Guadeloupe
The two sides proved to be closely matched in Friday’s reverse fixture, and with that in mind, we expect Tuesday’s contest to be another close-fought affair.
However, Martinique would have taken significant confidence from the recent 1-0 win, and we think they will draw inspiration from that experience to beat a country that has lost three of their last five away games in the Nations League.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.