The Selection of Guatemala will face its similar Surinam this Friday, October 10, at 3:00 p.m., in the city of Paramaribo, for the third day of the last round of the qualifiers of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Soccer Confederation (Concacaf), heading to the World Cup 2026 in Mexico, Canada and the USA.
Against all odds, the Blue and White arrives in the Surinamese capital in last place in the Group A, with a single point, while the Suriboys They are at the top of the group, with four points, after having tied against Panama and defeated El Salvador. Therefore, it could be interpreted that Suriname is the new favorite between both.
However, for the Suriname technical director, the Dutch Stanley MenzoGuatemala continues to be the great favorite in the confrontation, despite the fact that those led by the Mexican Luis Fernando Tena They have not added a single victory in the last phase of these qualifiers, after a defeat against El Salvador and a tie Panama.
However, it is worth mentioning that, of the four teams that make up the group, only Guatemala and Suriname never have qualified for a World Cup in the senior category, while El Salvador has done so in two occasions and Panama, in one, so neither of these two teams was considered the big favorite at the beginning.
The statements of Stanley Menzo, coach of Suriname
During the night of last Thursday, October 9, the coach of Suriname, the Dutch Stanley Menzo appeared before the media in the city of Paramaribo to talk about the match against Guatemala, which will arrive at the Dr. Franklin Essed stadium with the need to score as many points as possible.
“We are ready. We are a small nation in football, yes, but we are on our way to becoming bigand they have to take it into account.” With these words, the Surinamese coach responded to the alleged contempt that Guatemalan fans led the Suriboys, who have never beaten Guatemala in playoffs.
Despite this, the coach born in Paramaribo does not see Suriname as a favorite: “The Guatemalans They are the favorites because they have said that we are a small country and that we have a small stadium. So we are not favorites. We are going to fight against the great soccer nation of Guatemala, which has great stadiums and best players.”
“Neither of the two countries has played in a World Cup, but they have a lot of experience as a team, so we are not the favorites. However, we are aware that this competition is not only important for the national team, but for the entire Surinamese community,” Menzo added to national and international media.
Finally, the Surinamese coach refused to let himself be cheat due to the fact that the Blue and White is in last place, with one point: “That is the biggest obstacle. For this reason, without a doubt, we are considering that Guatemala will do everything possible to escape from the last place in the group, because it also wants to go to the World”.
“We know what the threats and where Guatemala can do us the most harm, but we also know where we can do it damage them. It is important that we take advantage of our strengths and let’s show what we are made of. We are going to give it our all,” concluded coach Menzo, who was sarcastic in front of the media.