Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Turks and Caicos Islands take on Nicaragua in a David-vs-Goliath clash on Saturday evening. Omar Edwards’ troops have not been in action since November 2019 when they suffered a heavy 10-0 loss to Guadeloupe. Turks and Caicos Islands are seen as underdogs in the opening match of their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, and we do not believe that they are capable of making a miracle in Providenciales.
Nicaragua, on the other hand, aim to make amends for a 1-0 loss to Guatemala. Los Pinoleros boss Juan Vita mixed the squad in the February friendly, but he is likely to field the best possible side against Turks and Caicos Islands. As previously mentioned, David faces Goliath at TCIFA National Academy, meaning that anything but a routine away victory will be a major surprise. The two teams have never met before in a competitive match.
Highlighted Player (Juan Barrera):
Born in Ocotal, Nicaragua Juan Barrera started his senior career at Real Esteli. Barrera, who is nicknamed el Iluminado, then played for the likes of Villa Austria, Walter Ferretti and Tauro and in 2012 he rejoined Real Esteli. After ending his loan spell with Deportivo Petare, the pacey winger made 72 appearances for el Tren del Norte and scored 25 goals for the club, speaking of league fixtures. Juan Barrera then moved to Europe, signing a deal with Austrian club Rheindorf Altach.
In 2016 he joined Comunicaciones of Guatemala and he has been playing for the club ever since. The 175-cm-tall footballer made his Nicaragua debut in January, 2009 against El Salvador and he played an important role in the Nicaragua national team in the 2018 Qualifiers. Juan Barrera scored two goals in the process, in back-to-back victories over Anguilla.
However, Nicaragua eventually failed to make it to the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers. The winger made three appearances for Nicaragua at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup as well, but he failed to find the net at the tournament in USA.