Canada vs Martinique & USA vs Haiti – CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage Matchday 1 Odds & Picks

• The CONCACAF Gold Cup is officially underway
• Canada faces Martinique on Sunday, while the US takes on Haiti
• Find the odds, previews, and picks below for both matches

The Gold Cup began on Saturday night, with tournament favorites Mexico playing to a surprising scoreless draw with Trinidad and Tobago. On Sunday, both Canada and the United States will make their competition debuts.

The Canadians will clash with Martinique, while the USA lock horns with Haiti. Bayern star Alphonso Davies picked up a knock earlier this week in training and won’t be available for the Gold Cup, which is a huge blow to Canada’s aspirations.

Canada vs Martinique Odds

All odds as of July 10th .

Canada vs Martinique Prediction

John Herdman’s side heads into the Gold Cup in good spirits after progressing to the next round of World Cup Qualifying, going 4-0-0 in their group. However, having no Davies is a real punch in the gut for Canada, considering he’s one of their leading goal-scorers and playmakers.

Nevertheless, the Canadians still have lots of quality talent at their disposal like Cyle Larin, Jonathan Osorio, and Mark-Anthony Kaye. Lille standout Jonathan David has been given time to rest ahead of the Ligue 1 campaign, therefore he won’t suit up for his country.

Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off on Saturday with #CANMNT to open their group stage on Sunday against Martinique #GoldCup21 🏆 https://t.co/XH2BWxIXRo

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 10, 2021

In total, there are 13 MLS players on the Canada squad. Ahead of Sunday’s match, the Canadians have secured six consecutive victories, although their opponents haven’t been the toughest in the likes of Haiti, Suriname, and Aruba.

Martinique is a non-FIFA country therefore they haven’t played a competitive game since 2019. It’s a long time coming for Mario Bocaly’s men, but this will be their third straight Gold Cup appearance. Martinique is certainly an underdog in Group B and will have a tough task ahead against a Canadian side that has been playing well as of late.

GET TO KNOW: Martinique

Here's a look at the first opponent for #CanMNT at #GoldCup21

The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup is available on Canada's home for soccer (that's us 👀)!

SUBSCRIBE 👉 https://t.co/6LyEo1Znyu pic.twitter.com/RK1xydyh8W

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 9, 2021

Bocaly’s squad will be without their top striker in Mickaël Biron, who plays his football in the French second division. In nine matches versus opponents in this tournament, Martinique has won just once.

While the Moneyline doesn’t offer a whole lot of value, Canada shouldn’t have a problem securing a very comfortable result, while keeping a clean sheet in the process.

Pick: Canada to Win by 3-0 (+600)

USA vs Haiti Odds

All odds as of July 10th.

USA vs Haiti Prediction

The United States and Haiti meet in Kansas City on Sunday. The Americans have been in impressive form lately, beating rivals Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League finals and also throttling Costa Rica 4-0 in their latest friendly. In fact, the US has won four of their last five games.

But, Gregg Berhalter’s side will have a slightly different look than their Nations League roster. All the European players are back training with their clubs, which means there’s no Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, or Josh Sargent. Instead, the USA has a heavy presence from the MLS, with 19 of their 23 players hailing from the league.

🗓 #OTD 2015: Two minutes after entering the game, @gyasinho provided the game-winning assist to @clint_dempsey in the 🇺🇸's 1-0 win vs. 🇭🇹 in a @GoldCup group stage match in Foxborough, Mass.

We face 𝐿𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑠 again in our #GoldCup21 opener TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com/plbgFvO1x6

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) July 10, 2021

The States will be looking to get things started on the right foot as they aim to finish atop Group B. While the Mexicans are the favorite to lift the Gold Cup, the Americans are certainly strong enough to make some noise as well.

The Haitians find themselves in this tournament after two impressive victories in the preliminary stages over Saint Vincent and Grenada. Jean-Jacques Pierre’s men did lose back-to-back World Cup Qualifying fixtures to Canada prior, but they do have a solid track record against the US.

⚽ 4 goals in 2 games of Gold Cup 2021
⚽ 6 goals in 6 games of Gold Cup
⚽ First Hat Trick in the history of Haití
⚽ Hat Trick fastest in the history of the Gold Cup: Only 11 minutes

🔥 FRANTZDY PIERROT 🔥#ThisIsOurs pic.twitter.com/Ir1O8qyMCk

— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) July 6, 2021

In 15 meetings between the two sides, Haiti is 6-6-5. In 2021 thus far, the Haitians boast a 5-0-2 record. Keep an eye out for strike duo Frantzdy Pierrot and Duckens Nazon, who have bagged 13 of their nation’s goals in the calendar year. Both play abroad in Belgium and France, respectively.

While Haiti does have a relatively decent history with the United States, the Americans have gone unbeaten against them in four games since 2000. While there isn’t a lot of international experience for the US on this current squad, I do expect them to come out victorious on Sunday. But, it will be close.

Pick: USA to Win by 1 (+275)