Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
The opening round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage will feature a showdown between Haiti and Saudi Arabia. The match will take place in San Diego in the early hours of Monday, June 16, with kick-off set for 02:15 Central European Time. I'm backing a bet on a high-scoring encounter in this one.
Match preview
Haiti are a typical mid-tier side in the CONCACAF landscape. The team lacks consistency but can certainly spring a surprise. In recent outings, the "Stallions" have displayed energetic and attacking football.
Up against stronger sides, Haiti often struggle, so major successes have been few and far between. However, they're always up for giving more prominent teams a tough time.
In recent years, Haiti have been regular participants at the Gold Cup, even claiming bronze medals in 2019. Since then, they've failed to advance from the group stage twice, and making the playoffs this time would be a sensational achievement.
Haiti have already reached the third round of World Cup qualifying. Their opponents at this stage will be Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, so the underdogs will face an uphill battle.
Saudi Arabia, while not a CONCACAF member, have been invited as guests. They're a side that regularly features at World Cups and play a pragmatic brand of football, but their technical quality will ensure they put up a fight against the local teams.
The Asian side will not arrive in peak form, having finished their World Cup qualifying campaign on a disappointing note. To be precise, only the third phase is over, and they still have to fight for a spot against Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, UAE, and Qatar.
With the draw yet to take place, Saudi Arabia will try their luck at an intriguing tournament on a different continent. Hervé Renard's men have landed in a tough group with Haiti, USA, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The opening opponent appears to be the easiest on paper, making it vital for the Saudis to start with a win. How long their energy will last remains to be seen, but Canada and Qatar proved at the previous tournament that invited teams can reach the knockout stage.
Match facts
- Haiti have suffered just one defeat in the past 18 months, though the level of opposition has been questionable.
- Saudi Arabia have lost only one of their last five matches.
- Haiti average 4 goals per game, while Saudi Arabia average 1.4 goals per game.
Probable lineups
- Haiti: Placide, Carlen, Ade, Duverne, Lacroix, Ayerr, Attis, Danly, Didson, Pierrot, Nazon.
- Saudi Arabia: Youssef, Mayrashi, Al-Amri, Al-Johani, Abdulrahman, Kanno, Kadesh, Al-Dawsari, Al-Buraikan, Al-Dawsari, Al-Oboud.
H2H
The two teams have never faced each other before.
Prediction
Haiti favor quick transitions and attacking down the flanks, while Saudi Arabia prefer to build through possession. We can expect chances at both ends, especially in the first half. Both sides have shown defensive frailties — a key factor pointing to a high-scoring affair. Both teams are capable of finding the net. While Haiti's recent goal-scoring exploits have come against weaker opposition, they have the tools to trouble even more organized teams than this current Saudi side. I'm backing over 2 total goals for this one.
