Guadeloupe vs Guatemala

On Tuesday, Guadeloupe and Guatemala will battle for a CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final spot in their final Group C match at Shell Energy Stadium.

Les Gwada Boys sit at the bottom of the group after a 2-1 loss to Jamaica, while Guatemala, three points ahead in third, fell 1-0 to Panama in their last outing.

For Guadeloupe, it’s do-or-die. They need a victory, a Jamaican defeat, and a four-goal swing to advance. With three straight losses in the tournament, they must adopt an aggressive approach. Despite the odds, Guadeloupe has secured five victories by three or more goals since early 2023. Manager Jocelyn Angloma hasn’t faced three consecutive competitive losses since the 2021 Gold Cup, where they dropped all group games.

However, the team has struggled, losing their last two Gold Cup matches despite scoring first, a trend not seen since their 2-1 defeat to Saint Lucia in October 2023. They’ve had success against Central American teams, winning two of their last three, though they fell 5-2 to Panama in this tournament’s opening match.

Guatemala, meanwhile, couldn’t keep up with Panama’s eight shots on target in their last game, managing just one themselves and failing to score for the second time in three matches. Los Mayas trail Jamaica for the final quarter-final spot due to a one-goal scoring deficit. Historically, Guatemala has been strong in final group-stage games, losing only twice this century, with the most recent in 2015 against Cuba (1-0).

However, they’ve struggled when conceding first, losing three of their last four such games, including two without scoring. Against Caribbean teams, Guatemala has excelled, winning their last three Gold Cup group-stage matches, including a 3-2 comeback against Guadeloupe two years ago, which secured them the group lead.