Barbados here for the win and experience

By Avenash Ramzan

A win is the obvious goal for Barbados against the Golden Jaguars on Thursday, but captain Rashad Jules is also hoping his players can take away valuable experience from playing in Guyana.

Guyana and Barbados are due to face off at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, from 19:00h in the CONCACAF Nations League.

“Experience, especially for the younger guys,” Jules said when asked about the other goals, besides a win, on this trip.

“(We want) them to experience the atmosphere from the Guyanese supporters, and (get) the win most importantly.”

In the current FIFA rankings, Barbados is 160 and Guyana 182. This is the Jaguars first fixture of 2018, while Barbados has played three times this year, losing one and drawing two.

“We have a pretty young squad, and we (have) prepared specifically for the tournament. We did the necessary research,” Jules indicated.

The Bajans had few practice games in the lead up to Thursday’s match, one of which was against Jamaica.

“Playing against Jamaica was a very good experience for the guys. Jamaica is one of the top teams in the Caribbean and I think we did pretty well, so it boosted our confidence going into CONCACAF Nations League,” Jules posited.

The Barbados squad is primarily local based players, with just a few from overseas, the skipper explained.

Thursday’s match will start at 19:00h, and admission to the venue is G$1,000 (approx. US$5).