HAMILTON, Bermuda — Although the objective is virtually completed, interim h ead c oach Xavier Gilbert and his Under-20 Reggae Girlz are leaving nothing to chance as they seek to confirm a spot in the next phase of the Caribbean CONCACAF Women’s Championship qualifiers today.

The Jamaicans will oppose the host nation in a Group B top-of-the-table clash at the National Sports Centre in Devonshire Parish. Match time is 8:00 pm (6:00 pm Jamaica time).

Following their 10-0 drubbing of Curacao on Friday, Jamaica assumed pole position on three points with a healthier goal difference over Bermuda, who are also on three points after securing a 5-1 victory over Curacao.

Jamaica will enter the contest needing only a point to join the other two group stage winners in the final qualifying stage, along with St Kitts and Nevis, as the hosts of the final round.

“We are going to approach the game the same way we did the first… we are going to be positive and we are going to be cautious as well. Bermuda is a better team than the Curacao team, nevertheless there are some weaknesses that we saw in the Bermuda team and hopefully we can exploit those weak areas,” Gilbert told the Jamaica Observer.

“Credit must be given to the girls for their convincing victory against Curacao. as a coach, whenever you have a team plan and it comes to fruition, especially when it resulted in three or four goals, you are going to be happy, so credit must be given to them as they continue to improve,” he added.

Gilbert believes the confidence of his team would have been further enhanced by Friday’s victory. as such, he is eyeing positive outcome today — especially with the level of firepower within the unit.

“We are going to be cautious in terms of our approach. we are not going to tell you that we are going to sit and wait for a point but, at the end of the day, we know what we have to do. they also know what they have to do.. we just don’t want to open ourselves too much too early and then cause problems, but we are confident in the girls’ ability,” the tactician stated.

The team went through light training yesterday morning which entailed a few tactical drills, but the main focus was around recovery, and as such, a lengthy pool period followed the near one-hour session at the North Field.

Gilbert will stick to attacking from the start with a 4-3-3 formation.

He will start with Sydney Schneider in goal, with captain Emily Caza and Jadyn Matthews in the heart of defence, flanked by Erin Mikalsen and Gabrielle Gayle. Alyssa Julien, Giselle Washington, and Ebony Clarke will marshal the midfield, while Jody Brown returns to join Jessica Johnson and Marlee Fray in the three-prong attack.

The last time Jamaica and Bermuda met at the Under-17 level, Jamaica came away comfortable 5-1 winners. though it is expected to be the same Bermudan team transitioning to this level, Gilbert expects the competition to be a lot stiffer this time around.

“This game is going to be tougher, but I think we should handle ourselves well. they fought gallantly the last time we played against them… it is a similar team and we anticipate the same level of intensity and style of play. But I think, overall, we are a better team than them, and once we come out and execute we should come out victorious,” said Gilbert.