El Salvador vs. Curacao Preview & Predictions

Last Updated on July 10, 2021 7:51 am by

Gold Cup action kicks off this Saturday in Group A, bringing us El Salvador’s national team battling Curacao starting at 4:00 p.m. E.T. at Toyota Stadium in Texas. Before their defeat last weekend, El Salvador had rarely been tested, conceding just once in their six matches this year, winning five of those games and scoring 19 goals. While Curacao, with Patrick Kluivert now at the helm on an interim basis, hopes that the success of the former great Dutch striker can rub off on his players, who will be hoping to create another big upset. The duel can be watched LIVE, internationally, through Concacaf GO and Concacaf Official App, via streaming, and channels such as TUDN and Fox Sports 2 will broadcast it.

Here are 5 interesting facts ahead of Saturday’s Gold Cup clash:

1. In the five matches that Curaçao has played against El Salvador, it has only achieved a draw; the rest were defeats. 
2. El Salvador’s last five games have accumulated only one defeat, a 6-0 loss to the United States.
3. The last time they met was in 2019 when El Salvador defeated Curaçao 0-1.
4. The national team tied 0-0 in its last friendly match against Guatemala.
5. The team led by Kluivert drew 0-0 against Panama in what was the second leg of the second leg on the road to the octagonal round that awards CONCACAF World Cup berths.

Here we will review the current situation of these two teams:

El Salvador: Unlike most teams appearing in the Gold Cup, El Salvador chose to visit Croatia in preparation for this tournament. Manager Hugo Perez will hope the loss will serve as a wake-up call for his team, who will face much stronger teams in this competition than they have faced for much of 2021.

Before their loss last weekend, this team had rarely been tested, conceding just once in their six games this year, winning five of those games and scoring 19 goals against Montserrat, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Antigua, and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis. With 15 players operating locally in El Salvador’s Primera Division, this team should have a lot of familiarity and understanding on the pitch, which could come in handy in a competition like this.

Curacao: In their second consecutive appearance in this tournament two years ago, Curacao surprised everyone by finishing second in their group, ahead of El Salvador on goal difference, and reaching the quarterfinals of this competition for the first time. Since Kluivert took over from legendary Dutch manager Guus Hiddink, they have failed to win their last three games and, in the process, will not participate in next year’s World Cup after Panama eliminated them in the previous round.

Despite that disappointment, this small soccer nation can be very proud of how far they have come in recent years, capturing the Caribbean Cup in 2017 and following that up with a win in the Copa del Rey two years later. They also managed to get results against two strong CONCACAF nations in 2019, defeating Honduras 1-0 and drawing 1-1 with Jamaica, so they are a capable team that has shown they can cause an upset.

Betting line:

El Salvador: +137 – Best O/U: u1½+137 

Curaçao: +210 – Best O/U: o1½-192 

Draw: +205