THE Panama aggregation arrived in the island yesterday confident of defeating the Jamaicans today and kick-start their CONCACAF World Cup qualification bid to Brazil 2014.

A 41-man delegation, inclusive of 24 players and 17 technical staff, was whisk through the Norman Manley International Airport in diplomatic fashion, unlike when the Reggae Boyz travel overseas, especially to Central America.

The team left through a side door and entered their team bus and was police escorted to the Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston where they quickly went about their business and was informed by their press officer Adan Gracia that no interviews was possible to the Jamaican media until after training which was scheduled to start at 6:45 pm.

However, after a lengthy wait of over one hour, head coach Julio Dely Valdes and his staff arrived from “lunch”, but with the Jamaican media strategically placed at the elevator, it was hard not to grant interviews.

“We are here to get three points. We are coming in a difficult stadium, but we are here to get three points,” said Valdes, via an interpreter.

Having blown a two-goal lead against Costa Rica and dropping two crucial points in a 2-2 draw at home, Panama are expected to be firing on all cylinders to secure three crucial points in the Hexagonal round. “Its just a small setback and we will be playing the same way we played against Costa Rica like how we played the first 35 minutes… there is no question, no doubt we are coming to take the three points,” said Valdes.

The blow of losing number one goalkeeper, 31-year-old Jaime Penedo with a broken finger, might be crucial, but coach Valdes thinks he has adequate replacements.

“Obviously it’s a blow, but I have confidence in Luis Mejia, a strong lad coming through the youth system and he is a good player,” he noted.

Another casualty is Amilcar Henriquez of Independiente Medellin, in Colombia, who was dropped for disciplinary reasons, after he is alleged to have refused to enter the pitch as a replacement in the team’s 2-2 draw against Costa Rica at home on February 6. He was dropped for “bad behaviour”.

Meanwhile, the team’s all-time leading goal scorer Luis Tejada, with 34 goals, has been recalled for this crucial clash and could form a deadly partnership with Blas Perez of FC Dallas.

Jamaica and Panama are both on one point in the six-nation World Cup qualifying group, behind early leaders Honduras on three, and Costa Rica and Mexico, also on one point. The USA are at the bottom of the standing without a point.

The top three teams at the end of the hexagonal will earn direct tickets to the Brazil 2014 World Cup Finals, but the fourth-placed team will earn a home-and-away play-off with the winner of the Oceania region.

Panama squad — Kevin Melgar, Alex Rodríguez, Leonel Parris, Juan Pérez, Edwin Aguilar, Alberto Quintero, Alcibiades Rojas, Aníbal Godoy, Felipe Baloy, Román Torres, Blas Pérez, Marcos Sánchez, Gabriel Gómez, Rolando Escobar, Nelson Barahona, Armando Cooper, Jairo Jiménez, Luis Mejía, Luis Henríquez, Luis Tejada, Harold Cummings, Jean Carlos Cedeño, Carlos Rodríguez.