On the eve of their 2015 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) group opener, local unit Alpha United and opponent Inter Moengo-tapoe of Suriname are both confident of securing a positive result today at the National Stadium.
The ‘Hammers’ will tackle their Dutch counterparts from 16:00hrs in their first meeting in approximately three years. Their previous meeting in the first round of the 2012 edition resulted in a 1-0 win for the visitors.
Alpha United during their 2014 CFU campaign, successfully qualified for their maiden CONCACAF Champions League tournament. On the other hand, this is the fourth appearance for the Surinamese unit in the regional tourney, with their last appearance coming in the 2014 edition.
Speaking during a press conference at the Waterchris Hotel, Head-Coach Wayne Dover said his side has the ability and firepower to secure the positive result, declaring the game is very important in the context of the group as it will set the tone of their campaign as they strive to qualify for the next round.
Dover further noted that preparation has gone well for his charges and that they are currently in the process of fine tuning their game plan for the imminent showdown.
According to Dover, while no scouting material was obtained by the technical staff for the fixture, management will utilize the early moments of the contest to analyse the strategies of Surinamese and make the necessary adjustments if required.
However, addressing the gathering on behalf of the Head-Coach, Commun-ications Officer of the Surinamese unit Humphrey Dundas shared similar sentiments, stating that his side’s sole intention is to emerge as the group winner.
He noted that while his team does not possess scouting material on the Guyanese unit, he expects a competitive matchup as Alpha United is a quality team.
Dundas further said that his side will also use the early stages of the fixture to assess the overall quality and tactics of the hosts, hinting that modifications will be made if need be.
Following the conclusion of their opening game, the local giants will faceoff with Trinidad and Tobago unit Central FC on Sunday at the same locale.
The Trinidad and Tobago unit arrived on local shores yesterday and will open their tourney against the Surinamese outfit on Friday at the same venue. Upon the conclusion of the group stage, the emerging winner will advance to the second round of the championship.
Meanwhile, Guyana’s other representative in the event, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will also be in action today in their group-2 campaign in Trinidad and Tobago. GDF will oppose Direct-TV W. Connection from the host nation in their opening group fixture at the Ato Bolton Stadium.
The other teams in the group are Spirited, Attitude and Performance (SAP) FC from Antigua and Barbuda and Waterhouse from Jamaica. In their second fixture, the local unit will tackle the Jamaican unit at the same venue two days onward.
GDF will then conclude their group campaign on Sunday against SAP at the same locale. The preliminary round which will feature four groups, will be played simultaneously during the April 13th-20th period.
The final round of the event will be played from May 20th-25th in a knockout format to decide the overall winner. The top three teams during that section will earn places in the prestigious CONCACAF Champions League.
