JPL final on repeat

CAVALIER COACH Rudolph Speid said he expects Mount Pleasant to be highly motivated to win when the teams meet today in a repeat of last season’s Jamaica Premier League (JPL) final at the Anthony Spaulding Complex at 6:30 p.m.

Speid’s team also had the better of the St Ann club over a month ago in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, and as a result, Speid believes that his opponents will be anxious to turn the tables.

Nevertheless, he said his team will go into the game absent of nervousness.

“We will be calm. We have won two of the most important games we could play against them in the Caribbean Cup and in the (JPL) final. I have a feeling they will be more motivated for this game and will come at us to get back something in the win column against us. But we will be calm,” Speid emphasised.

He noted that it was too early in the season to approach this game like a final, and with their Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final coming up against MOCA in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, he admitted that there is a distraction.

“It’s early days. We will do what we have to do. We will not put all the effort into the game that we would put into it at playoff time.

“At this particular time, we are not scouting them (Mount Pleasant). We don’t care what their tactics are. We are just coming to play how we want to play.

“This is not a defining match for us in any way, and we have a match coming up on Thursday against MOCA in [the] Dominican Republic, which we have one eye on both ways.

“But that does not mean we will come and lie down. We know how difficult it is to play against them. But we are not worried. We are calm, and we will be calm on Sunday,” he stated.

Both teams remain unbeaten in the competition. Cavalier sit second in the standings after four matches with 10 points, while Mount Pleasant are fifth on seven from three games.

Arnett Gardens vs Molynes

In the opening game, Arnett Gardens will look to get their first win in three games when they take on Molynes at 4 p.m.

Arnett have taken just one point from their last two games, and anything but a win at home against the lowly Molynes could heap pressure on coach Xavier Gilbert. Arnett are eighth on five points.

Molynes’ impressive 4-0 win over Chapelton in week four was cancelled out by a similar 4-0 defeat to Montego Bay United the following week, and they will need a repeat of their Chapelton performance if they want a second win from five games. Molynes are 12th with three points.

High-riding Portmore United, who are third on nine points, will go for their fourth straight win against a Chapelton team (six points) fresh from their 2-0 win over Humble Lion.

League leaders MBU (12 points) will start favourites despite playing away at Humble Lion (four points).

Vere (four points), who have one point from their last three, will look to continue Dunbeholden’s winless run when they host the St Catherine team at Wembley.

sports@gleanerjm.com