Venezuela have already secured a place in the knockout stage of Copa America and will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they face Jamaica.
Jamaica are yet to register a point in this year’s Copa America, and they will have one final opportunity to get something on the board when they face Group B leaders Venezuela on Sunday at Q2 Stadium in Austin.
The team from the Caribbean are bottom of their group after two defeats in two and have already been knocked out of the continental tournament. They will be playing for pride against Venezuela. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team were on a three-match winning run before heading into the tournament and now they could end up losing three in a row if they do not avoid defeat in their last outing.
Jamaica did manage to score their first goal in this year’s Copa America in their last outing against Ecuador. But, they suffered a 3-1 defeat which knocked them out. Despite having more of the ball, they could not create enough chances and will have to do much better in the final third to win in their next fixture.
Venezuela are top of Group B with two wins in two, and they have already secured a place in the knockout stage of the tournament. Fernando Batista’s team have an opportunity to create history as they have never ended the group stage with a 100% track record.
They are heading into this one on the back of a 1-0 win over Mexico. While they were not the dominating team, they still managed to keep a clean sheet and won thanks to Salomon Rondon’s 57th-minute penalty. The South American outfit will look to make it three wins in a row when they face a winless Jamaica on Sunday. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Jamaica
Demarai Gray is expected to return to the starting XI after starting on the bench in their last outing. They are expected to go ahead with the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Jahmali Waite will continue between the sticks.
In the heart of the defence, Joel Latibeaudiere will feature alongside Michael Hector and Wesley Harding. The back three will look to keep it tight at the back and they will have the support of Dexter Lembikisa and Alex Marshall who will feature as the wing-backs.
Damion Lowe and Kasey Palmer will feature in a more central role. They will look to ensure Venezuela do not end up dominating the ball too deep in their half. Shamar Nicholson and Demarai Gray will feature as the two attacking midfielder. While they will look to stay central, Gray will have the license to drift wide onto the left flank and take on the defenders. Kaheim Dixon will be leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Waite; Hector, Latibeaudiere, Harding; Lembikisa, Lowe, Palmer, Marshall; Nicholson, Gray; Dixon
Venezuela
Venezuela will look to rest a few of their important players for this fixture having already secured a place in the next round. They will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Rafael Romo will be in goal for them.
Jon Aramburu and Miguel Navarro will be the full-backs, while Nahuel Ferraresi and Yordan Osorio will feature in the heart of the defence. Jose Martínez and Christian Makoun will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. They will look to shield the back line and control the tempo of the game.
Matías Lacava will feature on the right flank, while Yeferson Soteldo will feature on the left. They will look to provide width to their attacks, while Jefferson Savarino will be the attacking midfielder behind striker Jhonder Cádiz.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Romo; Amaburu, Ferraresi, Osorio, Navarro; Martinez, Makoun; Lacava, Savarino, Soteldo; Cadiz
Key Stats
- Venezuela have won four out of the seven meetings against Jamaica who have two wins to their name.
- On Sunday, Jamaica could lose three matches in a row for the first time under Heimir Hallgrimsson.
- Venezuela have not lost a game to Jamaica outside of the Carribean.
- Their only previous meeting in the Copa America ended 1-0 in favour of Venezuela back in 2016.
- Jamaica have not defeated a side from outside the CONCACAF region since 2020.
Player to Watch
Demarai Gray
Gray had a decent first season in the Middle East as he contributed towards eight goals in his 25 outings for Al-Ettifaq. But, the 28-year-old winger has hardly had any impact on Jamaica’s run in the Copa America. While they have already been knocked out, there is still pride to play for and they will hope Gray steps up in their final group stage game.
Prediction
Jamaica 1-2 Venezuela
While Venezuela will not be fielding a full-strength XI, they will still push for a win in order to ensure they have a 100% win record heading into the knockout rounds. Jamaica have suffered back-to-back defeats so far, they will surely go all out for the win but even then it might not be enough. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Venezuela.
