Jamaica will be desperate for the three points when they welcome the USA to Kingston on Tuesday evening in their World Cup 2022 CONCACAF Qualifying clash.
The hosts were denied a second win of the qualifying campaign in the dying stages on Friday evening, whilst the visitors climbed to the top of the group standings after a passionate victory over their rivals Mexico on the same evening.
Match preview
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Participating in only the 1998 World Cup before, the Reggae Boyz had only slim hopes of reaching the global tournament in Qatar next year before the CONCACAF campaign kicked off.
However, after comfortably reaching the final round of qualifying, and boasting some of their best talent of recent years, Theodore Whitmore and his side will be disappointed with their return of just six points from their opening seven qualifiers.
As a result, the Jamaicans occupy sixth position in the Octagonal table heading into Tuesday evening's clash with the Americans, and are already five points adrift of Panama in the playoff qualification spot in fourth.
Were it not for a 90th-minute equaliser from El Salvador's Alex Roldan last time out though, Jamaica would have picked up their second victory of the campaign, after West Ham United's Michail Antonio appeared to have scored a late winner off the bench just eight minutes from time.
That late setback means Jamaica's hopes of reaching their second-ever World Cup are fading, but an unlikely victory over the Americans in Kingston would provide them with a vital three points and a much-needed boost ahead of the remaining qualifiers next year.
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Meanwhile, USA's 2-0 victory over rivals Mexico in Cincinnati on Friday was not only a crucial three points in their hunt for an expected qualification for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, but also important for morale and confidence ahead of the remaining qualifiers.
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic provided the opener just five minutes after his arrival from the bench, with Juventus' Weston McKennie settling the nerves with the second just five minutes from time.
In fact, the 2-0 triumph meant that USA have now beaten their rivals on three separate occasions this calendar year, after success over El Tri in the finals of the CONCACAF Nations League and CONCACAF Gold Cup in the summer.
As mentioned above, that victory lifted the Americans to the summit of the Octagonal table for the CONCACAF region, and means Gregg Berhalter's side are back on track after an initially disappointing start to the qualification campaign.
Along with the Nations League and Gold Cup trophies, victory over Jamaica on Tuesday, and retaining top spot in the group as a result, would mean a successful 2021 has been overseen by Berhalter for American soccer, which would continue the growth of its presence as a sport in the States.
A 2-0 success has already been achieved over the Reggae Boyz in qualifying, with young forward Ricardo Pepi bursting onto the international scene with a brace in Austin back in October.
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Team News
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Antonio's first-ever goal for his country on Friday evening may have earned him a place in the starting lineup on Tuesday, which would likely see Shamar Nicholson or Kemar Roofe making way.
In fact, Roofe, as well as Je-Vaughn Watson, were both replaced due to knocks against El Salvador so their availability will be assessed ahead of the crucial qualifier.
Current and former Premier League players Leon Bailey, Bobby Reid and Adrian Mariappa should start alongside Antonio for the Reggae Boyz.
As for the USA, Friday evening's victory over Mexico did come at a cost, with defender Miles Robinson picking up a red card in the dying stages for a second bookable offence.
Robinson will serve a one-match suspension and miss out on the trip to Jamaica as a result, along with McKennie, who picked up another booking during the feisty clash.
Hoffenheim's Chris Richards could replace Robinson at the heart of the defence and Kellyn Acosta could deputise for McKennie in the middle of the park.
Manchester City's Zack Steffen should continue in goal ahead of Matt Turner, whilst the fitness of Pulisic will continue to be assessed after his game-winning cameo from the bench last time out.
Jamaica possible starting lineup:
Blake; Powell, Lowe, Mariappa, Lawrence; Bailey, Williams, Grant, Reid; Antonio, Nicholson
USA possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Yedlin, Richards, Zimmerman, A Robinson; Musah, Adams, Acosta; Weah, Pepi, Aaronson
We say: Jamaica 1-2 USA
The hosts are likely to put in a spirited performance in their search for a vital three points, but the USA should possess too much quality in this one.
Jamaica have endured a disappointing qualifying campaign so far and seem to lack a settled starting lineup, which the visitors are likely to pounce on, but after failing to win comfortably on a number of occasions already, it could be just a narrow victory for the Americans.
Top tip
Matthew Tranter
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a USA win with a probability of 37.8%. A win for Jamaica had a probability of 36.48% and a draw had a probability of 25.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a USA win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.06%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.37%) and 0-2 (6.22%). The likeliest Jamaica win was 1-0 (8.87%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.18%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.2% likelihood.
