Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren and defender Damion Lowe say there is no room for excuses as they look to cement top spot in Group B in their Concacaf Nations League A game against hosts Nicaragua on Thursday at 9 p.m.

The Jamaica national soccer team arrived in the capital Managua on Tuesday and held a pre-match training session on Wednesday afternoon.

Jamaica currently leads Group B with four points, but second-placed Nicaragua has an identical record with the same number of points and goal difference. With two games remaining, the winner of the match would have a good chance of qualifying for next month’s quarter-finals.

Although the Central Americans are seven spots behind the Reggae Boyz worldwide, McClaren says they won’t take them lightly.

“It will be a completely different game, I already told the players that. Nicaragua is a good team and at home they are a strong team. We have no excuses. We have to produce that quality and that’s why I’m here because the talent in the team is so great and we have to be aware that there will be a lot of tests on the journey and (Thursday) will be a really big test for the team,” he said.

Vice-captain Lowe, who is likely to be in the starting XI, says McClaren has drawn up a plan to win.

“I think we prepared well. The gaffer has written the game plan on the board and all we have to do is follow the instructions. I can’t give too much away because that would basically give the game away, but I just know the boys are excited, we’re focused, ready for the task at hand, fully prepared and pushing to get three points.”

Before the encounter, the fact that the venue, the Estadio Nacional de Fútbol, ​​has an artificial playing surface instead of natural grass was a topic of conversation.

However, Lowe says that shouldn’t be a major factor due to the quality of the team.

“Most of the players we have have played in Europe and if they have played in the Champions League or Europa League, there are teams that play on grass so they are familiar. “Me, Andre, Jahmali and a few other guys play on grass (in the US) week in week out, so it’s nothing new,” he said.

“Sometimes the surface has an impact on the game, but given the quality of our players and the concentration with which we go into this game, we have no excuses. We just need to focus on the task at hand and not worry about the obstacles.”

McClaren expressed similar sentiments and urged his team to take Nicaragua seriously.

“We respect Nicaragua, I saw some of their games. They are a very good team, very secure in possession, always very close games and they have four points in the Nations League, so we will respect them. If we have to play them on grass, we play them on grass. We have no excuses, football is football. They may be a little more used to it, but we hope our quality shines through in the end.”

The Reggae Boyz will be missing England-based centre-back Di’Shon Bernard for this game, while a decision on new defender Mason Holgate will not be made until the game as they await FIFA clearance due to his switch in loyalty.

SQUAD

goalkeeper

Andrew Blake