KINGSTON, Jamaica — Cavalier FC head coach Rudolph Speid says he is happy that Lionel Messi will be in Jamaica as he expressed confidence in overcoming Inter Miami on Thursday.

The Argentina superstar and his Inter Miami teammates are set to arrive at the Norman Manley International Airport on Wednesday evening ahead of their Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 second-leg tie at the National Stadium.

There were doubts that Messi would make the travelling squad after missing the first leg and Sunday’s Major League Soccer (MLS) game against Charlotte FC.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Speid said he’s looking forward to playing against the 2022 World Cup winner.

“I’m happy that he’ll come. I’m not the type of coach who wants players not to play to win a game. I want him to come, I want him to play, and I want our players to do the best they can do against him,” he said.

Speid also said he’s confident Cavalier can come out on top come Thursday.

“We strive on adversity. Every time they write us off, even in the Caribbean Cup, they say we couldn’t pass the first round, but we won it; we’re going to get 6-0 in the Jamaica Premier League final, but we won it, so we strive on adversity. Don’t worry, we like these situations,” he said.

Thursday’s game kicks off at 7:00 pm.