DEFENDING champions Couples Sans Souci and giant killers Beaches Ocho Rios will clash today in the final of the Sandals St Ann/St Mary Business House Football Competition. Match time is 3:30 pm and the venue is Drax Hall field.

Both teams enter the final in contrasting fashion. Couples had to scrap hard to carve out a 3-2 victory over Grand Bahia Principe in their semi-final encounter, while Beaches scored an upset 2-0 victory over highly fancied RIU Ocho Rios.

Couples will start the overwhelming favourites, having beaten Beaches 3-1 when the teams met in an early-season inter-zone match and being the only unbeaten team remaining in the competition.

Beaches are the underdogs in this crucial encounter, by virtue of finishing runners-up in Zone A to Couples, and considered one of the Cinderella teams at the start of the tournament. They are, however, bubbling with confidence, having scored four straight victories and notching an impressive tally of 21 goals in seven matches.

Alfred Barnett, coach of Couples Sans Souci, said that his team was confident of becoming back-to-back champions. He, however, noted that they would not be taking the Beaches team lightly, as they have been playing attractive football of late.

“We have a team that is strong in both attack and defence, and we expect to give a good account of ourselves,” Barnett said.

Shavar Brown, skipper Noxroy Williams, and Dominique Wright are the standouts on a talented and tough Couples Sans Souci aggregation.

Manager of the Beaches team, Lennox Green, said his team was confident in the underdog role. “Nobody but ourselves expected us to reach the final, and while we highly respect Couples, we are not overawed by the occasion and will be coming all-out to win.”

Green said that after a slow start to the season his team had now found its stride and will be coming out to play an attractive brand of soccer.

Beaches will be looking to Jari Aby, Oshane Palmer and Jason Livingston to set up their victory charge against the stingy Couples defence.

Public Relations Manager for Sandals Ocho Rios region Ian Spencer observed that the sponsors were pleased with the standard of football played during the competition so far and were looking forward to an exciting grand finale. “May the best team win,” Spencer noted.

St Ann Football Association honcho Danny Beckford urged supporters to turn out in their numbers to make the final an exciting spectacle. The third-place play-off between RIU Ocho Rios and Grand Bahia Principe will commence at 1:30 pm at the same venue.