The absence of top striker and Team Captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw will not be a big setback for Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz when they face world number 10-ranked hosts Brazil in the first of two friendly internationals today in Recife, says Head Coach Hubert Busby.

The contest is a repeat of the teams’ FIFA Women’s World Cup clash in Australia last year.

Brazil and Jamaica will meet again in Salvador on Tuesday as the South Americans prepare for the Paris Olympic Games. For Jamaica, most core players members of the team will be returning for the first time in nearly a year since the historic qualification for the knockout stages of the 2023 World Cup.

In May, the Jamaica Football Federation announced a squad that included 18 members of the team that played in the World Cup, signalling the end of a stand-off between the core players and the federation.

Shaw, who has developed into one of the best strikers in the global women’s game and led her club Manchester City to a second-place finish in the English Super League, will miss both games after breaking her leg close to the end of the season.

In their most recent meeting, in August last year at the World Cup, the Jamaicans, under then Head Coach Lorne Donaldson, held the powerful Brazilians goalless during the group stage, effectively knocking them out of the World Cup.

While underlining Shaw’s importance to the team, Busby noted the squad’s depth.

“As I have stated numerous times, you don’t replace Bunny Shaw. Every country, every team in the world would love to have a Bunny Shaw, we’re grateful that we have her on our team,” the coach said during a pre-game press conference on Friday.

“Injuries happen, and unfortunately, she’s unable to be with us, but we have really good depth and a really good squad and so we know that another player will step up. We have more than enough ability as more players come in and, again, give us different qualities, not necessarily what Bunny would give us, but it is a team. We have organised and we know that she was going to be away for a couple of weeks now, so we’ve just kind of obviously looked to adapt in terms of how we look to play and what we’re looking to do and how we’re looking at that period of time. It’s really a whole process for us to keep building so that we can be back in this wonderful country in 2027.”

Jamaica scored just once in the World Cup, beating fellow Concacaf team Panama 1-0 but held both Brazil and France to draws. The defensively organised approach was a common feature in questions raised at the press conference.

Busby said the attacking quality of the Brazilians will likely test the Jamaicans’ defensive mettle.

“We know about all the Brazilian flair and all the ability they bring. This is a good group, a young group, dynamic group, but we’re pretty dynamic ourselves. So I think it will be a big game in terms of being evenly matched. We have to get our defensive responsibilities right and that’s what we will look to build on heading into our next [international match] window as well. So yeah, good defensive platforms [are] needed against a very good technical Brazilian team,” he said.

However, Busby noted that his players will also look to impose their offensive capabilities.

“We also have to get to the point where we have to be brave in our approach as well. It might not all come tomorrow, and as I said to the players, the core group has not been together for nine months, [so] there’s going to be a little bit of a grace period.

“We have to be understanding of each other. We have to be a little bit not so harsh when things don’t go right and understand that it’s going to take a little bit of time,” he said.

Senior defender Deneisha Blackwood, who also spoke at the press conference, said she was expecting an even contest.

“I think our expectation for this game is, you know, I feel like both countries are a lot similar in terms of physicality and, like, technical abilities, so I feel like this game, it’s going to be a back-and-forth game,” she said.

Jamaica squad — Chantelle Swaby, Konya Plummer, Jade Bailey, Deneisha Blackwood, Kayla McKenna, Allyson Swaby, Drew Spence, Atlanta Primus, Vyan Sampson, Peyton McNamara, Paige Bailey-Gayle, Trudy Carter, Kameron Simmonds, Tiffany Cameron, Sydney Schneider, Rebecca Spencer, Niya Cardoza, Liya Brooks, Amelia Van Zanten, Jody Brown, Israela Groves, Davia Richards, and Lauren Reid.