St James, Trinidad - Head coach of Jamaica's Under-17 team, Christopher Dawes, says the young Reggae Boyz will be upping the ante in today's CFU Youth Cup quarter-final clash against French territory, Guadeloupe.

The team plays the feature match of a double-header at Guaracara Park, San Fernando, in the south of Trinidad at 8:00 pm (7:00 pm Jamaica time) against a Guadeloupe outfit that is somewhat of an unknown entity.

According to Dawes, the Jamaicans are hell-bent on giving fans at home something to cheer about.

"We will be treating this match as a cup final seeing that we know very little about them, but as the match goes on we'll assess them and make any necessary adjustments," Dawes said.

In first-round play, Guadeloupe netted 15 goals and conceded one in their three-team group which included Suriname and the US Virgin Islands.

The Reggae Boyz scored 12 and also conceded one in their three games.

Yesterday the Boyz were taken through tactical drills by technical director Walter Gama and Dawes in heavy underfoot conditions at the George V Park.

A heavy downpour, the result of a weather system which is passing close to the twin-island republic, lashed sections of the island and more rains are forecast for today.

The Boyz will welcome the return of influential captain, Ashani Fairclough, who sat out the final group match against Dominican Republic after receiving two yellow cards in the first two matches.

Also, towering central defender Jhamie Hyde - who the coaching staff opted to rest because he had received a caution for an overzealous tackle in the team's second match against the Netherland Antilles - makes his return.

The strike trio of Kavarse Bloomfield, Prince Samuels and the pint-sized Ashani Walker should start up front, while Fairclough is expected to marshall the midfield along with Carl Reid and the skilful Marvin Morgan, while Hyde is expected to be partnered at the back by Omar Lawrence, with Neco Brett and Javes Morrison playing the full-back roles.

Goalkeeper Shawn Lawes, who has shown a safe pair of hands in the tournament so far, is expected to start between the sticks.

In the opener, the tournament's leading goal-scoring team, Cuba, will tackle the winners of the Bermuda-Guyana match which was under way at press time.

In other semi-final action, resurgent hosts Trinidad & Tobago tackle a dogged Dominican Republic, while Haiti face St Vincent & the Grenadines in the opener at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya.

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