Digicel T&T Pro League champion, Defence Force will hold its final training session at the Teteron Ground, Chaguaramas from 4 pm today ahead of its departure for Guyana to face Milerock in second round of the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship on Sunday.
The first-leg match hosted by the runner-up in the Guyana Football Federation National Super League will be played at the Mac Kenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden from 7 pm. Defence Force, will host the return-leg on April 22 at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
T&T Pro League runner-up's Caledonia AIA and Tempete of Haiti, will also contest their second-round first-leg match as part of the April 22 double-header with the return set for May 7 in Haiti.
The “Teteron Boys”, 1985 and 1987 CFU winners advanced to the second round after they completed a 4-1 aggregate win over Bermudans, Dandy Town Hornets.
This followed a 3-0 win at home after a 1-1 draw on the road in the first-leg. The young and inexperienced Milerock earned a surprised 2-1 win on the road to Suriname’s Inter Moengotapoe for a 2-2 tie on aggregate to advance on away goals.
Since then, Defence Force last played a competitive match on March 25, a penalty-kicks loss to W Connection in the Digicel Pro Bowl semifinal at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
But despite the 15-day layoff, Defence Force coach Ross Russell Jr said his players will be ready for Milerock. “We have been training very hard for the series with Milerock because we know it will not be an easy battle.
“Some of our technical staff and players have a fair knowledge of what to expect from them and we intend to put that to good use. “Our main problem is really what kind of surface we will be playing on as from the reports we have gotten we understand its not of high quality.
“As far as we have been told when it rains the surface gets very muddy and difficult to play on and then when its too dry its dusty and bouncy, so we just have to wait and see.”
For the first-leg match, Russell, a former national and Defence Force goalkeeper said he expects to make a few tactical changes to his team which will depart tomorrow (Friday) morning.
“We have a final training session tomorrow following which the technical staff will sit and decide our team for Guyana but overall we are confident of getting a good result,” ended Russell.
Included in the Milerock is former Doc’s Khelwalass, North East Stars, San Juan Jabloteh and Tobago United striker Collie ‘Hitman” Hercules, the player assistant coach and Kayode Mc Kinnon, formerly of Stars, Caledonia and Tobago United.
The winner of the tie between Milerock and Defence Force, 1985 Concacaf Champions League winner with a 2–1 home-and-away aggregate win over Honduran club, CD Olimpia in the final will advance to the semifinals in T&T from May 25 with the final and third-place games set for four days later.
The semifinal winners and third placed club will qualify for the 2011-2012 Concacaf Champions League.
In the other second-round home and away series, Puerto Rico Islanders begin defense of their title on April 23 at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon against Suriname's Walking Boyz while Guyana Super League champ Alpha United will play River Plate FC of Puerto Rico on Friday, April 15, at Georgetown's GCC Bourda Park, which also will be the site of the second leg two days later.