Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the CONCACAF Gold Cup match.
Trinidad and Tobago were comfortably beaten by the USA in their group stage opener, falling to a 0:5 defeat. That said, their matchup against Haiti looks far more competitive, with just 17 places separating the teams in the FIFA World Rankings.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago conceded five goals, struggling particularly in the dying minutes of each half, with two goals coming late in both periods. The main danger came from just two American forwards, who registered three of the goals between them. The team managed no shots on target in the first half and only began to show attacking intent after the hour mark, by which time the deficit had already grown to 0:3. Importantly, Trinidad and Tobago were without their only high-profile player, forward Levi García, who was rested. The result was largely expected, with few backing them to take any points off the USA.
Haiti
Currently ranked 83rd in the world, Haiti faced a slightly less daunting task against Saudi Arabia, a guest participant in the Gold Cup. Although expectations leaned towards a straightforward win for the Asian side, they only managed to edge past Haiti thanks to a second-half penalty. The Haitians did find the net after the break, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Trinidad and Tobago vs Haiti Prediction
Haiti lack the attacking firepower of the USA, and their squad features no players with significant European pedigree. Although Levi García made a winter move to FC Spartak Moscow for a reported €18.7 million, he has yet to live up to expectations. In his first 10 appearances for FC Spartak Moscow, he failed to score despite receiving plenty of game time, and only recently opened his account against a struggling FC Khimki side. His international form hasn’t been much better — just three goals in his last 14 matches. All signs point to a low-scoring encounter.
