Guatemala vs El Salvador Match Analysis & Prediction
08/09/2023 5:00 am
For the first time in the history of this competition, Guatemala will feature in League A at the CONCACAF Nations League as they face El Salvador at Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores on Thursday in the opening match for both nations.
At the previous Nations League competition, Guatemala topped their League B group to earn a promotion into the top tier, while El Salvador finished second behind the USA in their first appearance on the A side in 2022-23.
Guatemala could not compete at the 2017 and 2019 Gold Cup competitions due to corruption allegations within the federation, as they began at the bottom of the Nations League, on the C side in 2019.
They had no problem climbing up to League B that year, winning all four of their matches played, scoring 25 goals without conceding, and Guatemala carried that momentum into 2022-23 – securing a 4-0 victory over French Guiana on the final matchday to top that group.
Luis Fernando Tena has taken this side to new heights, with Los Chapines winning their group at the Gold Cup this summer for the first time, finishing ahead of the most recent Nations League runners-up Canada.
In their five Nations League home matches, Guatemala have blown away their opponents, winning each of those games, outscoring the opposition 23-0 over that stretch.
El Salvador begin their second spell in League A looking for redemption after some disappointing results over the past year.
There was a lot of hope that El Salvador could contend with the top teams in this region after Hugo Perez giuded them into the final stage of 2022 World Cup qualifying and the quarter-finals of the 2021 Gold Cup.
However, this team have since regressed, finishing bottom of their group at the Gold Cup this summer, while they are yet to win a game all year, losing four of their seven matches played.
La Selecta began the League A campaign in 2022-23 brightly with a 3-1 win against Grenada but could not maintain that high level throughout the group stage, as they finished second, five points behind eventual tournament winners – the United States.
El Salvador had their opportunities to cause a massive upset at the 2022-23 Nations League though, but they could not deliver the goods, conceding an injury-time equaliser at home to the USA (1-1) before narrowly losing to the Yanks in Orlando (1-0).
Guatemala vs. El Salvador Head to head
In the 49 previous meetings between these two teams, Guatemala have claimed 24 victories while El Salvador have won 11, and they have drawn in 14. El Salvador have scored 45 goals and conceded 62 in the process.
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07/03/2019El Salvador3Guatemala1Friendlies
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27/06/2021El Salvador0Guatemala0Friendlies
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12/07/2021El Salvador2Gautemala0Concacaf Gold Cup
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25/09/2021El Salvador0Guatemala2Friendlies
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25/04/2022El Salvador0Guatemala4Friendlies
Guatemala Team News
Cristian Jimenez, Oscar Santis and Kevin Ruiz are the only newcomers this time around who were not selected in the Guatemala squad for the Gold Cup.
Rubio Rubin led them with three goals in their previous Nations League campaign, while Ricardo Jerez earned two clean sheets at home and Nicholas Hagen had one.
Guatemala's Last 5 Matches
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28/06/2023Guatemala1Cuba0Concacaf Gold Cup
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02/07/2023Guatemala0Canada0Concacaf Gold Cup
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05/07/2023Guadeloupe2Guatemala3Concacaf Gold Cup
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10/07/2023Guatemala0Jamaica1Concacaf Gold Cup
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04/09/2023Guatemala0Honduras0Friendlies
El Salvador Team News
German Fuentes, Aljandro Henriquez, Rafael Tejada and Emerson Mauricio were the only El Salvador players selected for this game who have yet to feature for the senior squad.
Nelson Bonilla and Alexander Larin were not named to the roster for this match, with the former sitting two goals behind Magico Gonzalez for third all-time with the national team.
El Salvador's Last 5 Matches
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15/06/2023Japan6El Salvador0Friendlies
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20/06/2023Korea Republic1El Salvador1Friendlies
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27/06/2023El Salvador1Martinique2Concacaf Gold Cup
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01/07/2023El Salvador0Costa Rica0Concacaf Gold Cup
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05/07/2023Panama2El Salvador2Concacaf Gold Cup
Guatemala vs. El Salvador: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
Double Chance: Guatemala or X
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