LES ABYMES, Guadeloupe -- The Turks and Caicos Islands needed a dramatic late goal against Sint Maarten earlier this week to keep their promotion dreams alive, and now they’ve got one more test in front of them.
Group D leaders Guadeloupe look poised to take that promotion spot, being three points clear and up seven goals in differential heading into this final match, but they can’t take anything for granted.
The only other time these two ever met was back in September, when Guadeloupe won 3-0 in Providenciales thanks in part to a Raphael Mirval brace. Turks and Caicos Islands will be looking to flip that result around and then some, needing a four-goal victory to take over first place.
It is a tall order, but for a team with eight goals in their last two games, it’s hardly out of the question.
Billy Forbes has been magnificent over that stretch, with a hat trick in the first match and the game-winner in the second. He also notched an assist in the win this past Thursday over Sint Maarten.
Guadeloupe won their only other home match of the competition 5-0 against Sint Maarten, and if they have a performance anything like that one on Sunday, they’ll be through to the first round of the Gold Cup qualifiers next March.
