Cavalier’s defensive trio of Richard King, Jeovanni Laing, and Christopher Ainsworth are gearing up for one of the biggest challenges of their careers as they prepare to battle Inter Miami in their first-leg game in the Round of 16 for the Concacaf Champions Cup tomorrow.

The match will take place at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

With former Barcelona stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets in the Inter Miami line-up, Cavalier’s defenders know they will have their hands full.

King, the captain and most experienced defender in the squad, is embracing the pressure and believes teamwork and discipline will be the keys to success.

“It is a big game, and it will be the biggest game of my career, so I am just going into it with a positive mindset and doing my best for the team,” King said. “I know there will be a lot of pressure on my shoulders as the captain to lead this team on the field but I am not worried about it. It’s just about going there, following the coach’s instructions, sticking to the game plan, and executing it as best as we can.”

King says they have prepared both mentally and physically for this encounter and areconfident they can secure a positive result on Thursday.

“We are going into it together as a team, and we are going to work hard and fight hard,” he said. “Once we do that, I am confident that we can come away with a positive result.

“I don’t have any individual plans to mark any of their top players — it’s just about going out there and doing what the coaches say, because we are confident. The coaches have been drilling us for this game, and we are prepared for the battle.”

Laing acknowledged the magnitude of the occasion but stressed that Cavalier will not be overwhelmed by Inter Miami’s star power.

“It will be a great accomplishment to play against one of the greatest footballers in the world [Messi] but we are not going to get starstruck,” he said. “It will be one of the most important matches of our lives, and we are going to approach it that way.

“There will be a lot of pressure on us but it’s not only going to be Messi and Suárez; there will be other players on the list, and we have to do our jobs individually. I know those players are specia, but we have to do our jobs to limit them and come away with a positive result over both legs of this competition.”

Ainsworth said they will work hard for each other and battle for every ball on the field.

“I am expecting a good game from my team because I am confident that we are going to go out there, do our best, and try to get the three points,” he said. “I know it is going to be a difficult game but we still have to go out there and try hard. If we work together, that is how we are going to get the result.”

He admitted that nerves may be present at the start of the game but once the whistle blows they will settle into their rhythm.

“We are going to be nervous but we are footballers, so we cannot be afraid of anything. We just have to go out there, do our best, and work hard for each other on the pitch.”