Champions Garvey Maceo High must beat Manchester High in their final round-of-16 game at Glenmuir High School in May Pen, Clarendon, on Friday if they are to stand a chance of defending their daCosta Cup title.

Start time is 3:00 pm.

Garvey Maceo are last in the four-team group on one point and after two games are yet to score a goal in the round-of-16 stage. Manchester High lead Group 2 with four points and a point would be enough to see them advance.

Four more qualifiers will be decided today as competition in groups 1 and 2 will be completed. The teams are seeking to join Clarendon College and Frome Technical High who both secured their places from Group 3 on Wednesday.

Group 4 will be decided on Saturday.

Also on Friday, surprise package Central High need only a point against Christiana High in Group 1 to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2017.

Three teams are still in contention in Group 2 — leaders William Knibb Memorial are on six points and are all but through, barring a total collapse. Dinthill Technical and Cornwall College, both on three points, also have a chance.

At Glenmuir, Garvey Maceo’s defence will end unless they can beat Manchester High and sneak into the next round.

The Merron Gordon-coached team had a nine-game winning streak after being held 2-2 in their opening game and must rediscover that form if they are to have any chance of continuing in the competition.

Central High, who were distant runners-up to Glenmuir High in the first round, are on fire and will start favourites to get by Christiana High and secure their quarter-final spot.

Group 2 is poised on a knife’s edge with three teams going after the two spots, and William Knibb, who have yet to concede a goal in 12 games so far this season, need only a point to be safe.

Dinthill Technical lost to Cornwall College in their opening round-of-16 game but rebounded to beat Paul Bogle High 2-0 and are in second place on goal difference ahead of Cornwall College.

With 56 goals under their belts, Dinthill Technical will be the most prolific scoring team William Knibb will face this season. For added intrigue, the game will pit two of the competition’s top scorers against each other: Giovannie Afflick of Dinthill Technical and Mark Lewis of William Knibb Memorial.

At Cornwall College, the home team will be seeking yet another chance when they host Paul Bogle High, knowing they need to win by two clear goals.

There is a scenario in which three teams — William Knibb, Dinthill Technical, and Cornwall College — could all end up with six points each. That would require a tiebreaker to separate the two teams to advance.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Garvey Maceo vs Manchester @ Glenmuir

Christiana vs Central @ Brooks Park

Dinthill vs William Knibb @ Drax Hall

Cornwall College vs Paul Bogle @ Cornwall

All games set to start 3:00 pm