Curacao and El Salvador will face each other in a very emotional CONCACAF Gold Cup on 18 June. Both teams are performing at a decent level right now, which will definitely mean the upcoming showdown will be a close-call game.
Curacao, historically the underdog in this rivalry, made a bold claim with their 5-1 win over Haiti. Moreover, coach Dick Advocaat’s players also demolished poor Santa Lucia on 7 June. Surely the players are hungry for more of the same.
However, we should give credit where it’s due and admit the visitors are doing spectacularly as well. After four World Cup Qualifiers games played, coach Hernan Gomez’s players have two victories and two draws to show four.
How the bookies view it: Curacao are the favourites
Coach Advocaat’s team has the three points up for grabs, with odds priced at 27/20, while the visitors from El Salvador remain underdogs, with odds valued at an alluring 23/10.
You should also know about the offer on under 1.5 goals. The professionals over at Boylesports gifted us with tremendous odds on this market, as the odds are set at 31/20 right now.
Recent head to head: El Salvador stomps Curacao
Six official matches were played between the two teams, and it’s fair to say El Salvador are turning into a bogey team for Curacao. With four victories for El Salvador and two draws in those six games, you can see why some might think the visitors on Wednesday have a better shot at the three points than their hosts.
Players to watch: Gervane Kastaneer on fire!
29-year-old striker Gervane Kastaneer falls in the player-to-watch section of our Curacao vs El Salvador prediction, as he did well to score an opener for his country in the match against Haiti on 11 June. He and partner in crime Kenji Gore did well, and we believe both will take part in the match against Curacao this week. They were the highest-rated players on the pitch, which is why we have such high faith in their abilities to make a difference.
Predicted line-ups
There isn’t news regarding any injured Curacao players. Coach Advocaat will be able to count on his best 11 men, which might just give Curacao the push they need to go out there and give El Salvador a run for their money.
The good news for the visitors’ manager is the fact that he will be able to rely on team captain Julio Sibrian. The 28-year-old was on top of his game against Suriname, as the visitors at Estadio Cuscatlan could only produce one shot on target in 90 minutes of play. No El Salvador players are injured, and we believe this will give coach Gomez’s players a fighting chance.
Curacao: Room, Floranus, Brenet, Gaari, Eijma, Bacuna, Comenecia, Bacuna, Gorre, Margaritha & Kastaneer
El Salvador: Gonzalez, Sibrian, Alvarado, Larin, Tamacas, Landaverde, Ortiz, Ordaz, Cartagena, Henriquez & Gil
Anything else catch the eye?
Santos Ortiz scored in one of the two El Salvador World Cup qualifiers thus far, and a repeat can be considered at 6/1 on BoyleSports. Ortiz was a starter for his country in the previous official game, which definitely gives our Curacao vs El Salvador prediction a bit of a boost.
It’s also very likely for us to see over 3.5 bookings, as Boylesports surprise us with outstanding odds, valued at 41/20. Seven bookings were shown in El Salvador’s previous match. Why should the match against Curacao be any different?
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