Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid remains wary heading into their Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final against local rivals Harbour View, while his counterpart Ludlow Bernard is firmly focused on going all the way. The match will be at Sabina Park at 7 pm today.
Bernard noted that though they have been inconsistent over the group stage, they know what it takes to win this competition.
“We have been inconsistent. We started well but didn’t win that final game we should have won. We aim to set things straight this time around.
“We are looking forward to the game and the final in particular because first and second are very important to us, as we have a history of being champions in this competition before,” Bernard said.
Cavalier are in form in the competition, and Shaniel Thomas, with seven goals including two hat-tricks, is the in-form player along with Jalmaro Calvin and captain Kyle Ming.
Cavalier also remains the only unbeaten team in the competition; however, coach Speid said that is all behind them now and that Harbour View pose a different threat from their other opponents.
“On any given day, these teams can beat each other. We know each other well. The teams we played before didn’t know us, so this is more difficult because both teams know each other, and both teams can make it difficult for each other,” Speid pointed out.
He expects a close contest but stated that their intention is not to lose.
“It will be interesting and close. I don’t know what the outcome will be because, over the years, Harbour View and Cavalier have been very close, but we are prepared.
“It is over two legs, so we do not necessarily have to win the game from the first leg. We need to come away without losing and then take it from there,” Speid said.
Harbour View have looked to Omar Thompson and Shaquille Bradford in attack, while captain and defensive lynchpin Odorland Harding will return after missing their last group match, which they lost to Moca.
The other semi-final will be Moca of the Dominican Republic hosting Robinhood of Suriname.
livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com
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