Preview: Curacao vs Trinidad and Tobago - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams that have had very different starts to the CONCACAF Nations League campaign will face each other on matchday three as Curacao welcome Trinidad and Tobago to Ergilio Hato Stadium on Thursday.

Heading into this outing, the Blue Wave are the joint leaders of Group A with six points, crushing Nicaragua 6-1 on Sunday, while TNT are in a three-way tie for last, losing 2-1 at home to the Dominican Republic the last time out.

Match preview

Curacao learned some hard lessons at this summer’s World Cup, and it appears to have done them a lot of good.

Dick Advocaat’s men were outscored by a combined margin of 9-1 in the finals but have netted a combined 10 goals in their two Nations League affairs this season.

The surprising part about their quality is that they have done it against League A sides in CONCACAF, with their 10 strikes so far being four more than they managed in their six matches before this tournament.

That said, they have been potent in the Nations League before, scoring four or more goals in their last four such outings.

They have been razor sharp of late versus CONCACAF opposition, with an opportunity on Thursday to stretch their unbeaten run against that region to 10 matches.

Meanwhile, they can also stretch their unbeaten run versus Trinidad and Tobago to four games across all competitions, winning their only previous match against them at Ergilio Hato Stadium in the 2023 Nations League (5-3).

While everything seems to be going Curacao’s way right now, the opposite may be true for Trinidad.

Derek King’s men have had a second-half lead in both Nations League affairs so far but came away with nothing on both occasions.

On Thursday they are in danger of suffering three successive defeats in this competition for the first time in their history.

Defensively, this team have been rather messy all year, allowing multiple goals in four of their five outings, while they have not posted a clean sheet since October 2025 (3-0 win at Bermuda).

At the same time, TNT have dropped points in their last four Nations League encounters away from home, conceding 14 times in those four games.

The Soca Warriors have beaten Curacao only once outside of Trinidad, claiming a 3-2 victory when they first met them in 2014 at the Caribbean Cup in Montego Bay.

Curacao CONCACAF Nations League Form:

Curacao Form (all competitions):

Trinidad and Tobago CONCACAF Nations League Form:

Trinidad and Tobago Form (all competitions):

Team News

On matchday two, Curaco goalkeeper Eloy Room and his teammate Leandro Bacuna remained level for all-time caps, each collecting number 77, while Nigel Thomas is still seeking his first at this level.

Kenji Gorre netted a brace in their match against Nicaragua, putting him in a tie for fourth all-time with 10, while the Bacuna brothers each scored, Leandro and Juninho, as did Livano Comenencia and Jurgen Locadia.

On the TNT side, Jaheim Joseph made his first senior start on matchday two, while Jabari Brice got the call between the sticks and Tyrese Spicer was the other new face in the starting 11.

Daniel Phillips scored the only goal in that match, the first for the Stevenage midfielder in the Soca Warriors senior squad.

Curacao possible starting lineup:

Room; Noslin, Gaari, Carolina, Floranus; Comenencia, L. Bacuna; J. Bacuna, Antonisse, Gorre; Margaritha

Trinidad and Tobago possible starting lineup:

Brice; Cardines, J. Garcia, Henry, Powder; Frederick, Phillips, Rampersad, Sealy; L. Garcia, Mitchell