KINGSTON, Jamaica — A confident Arnett Gardens will kick off the defence of their Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield title against Dublanc FC of Dominica at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Trinidad on Sunday.

Arnett, which finished third in the Jamaica Premier League, are drawn in Group D alongside Dublanc, Club Franciscain (Martinique), Scholars International FC (Cayman Islands), AC Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) and Doc’s United (Anguilla). The defending champions hope to start on a winning note.

“Preparation for the CFU Club Shield has gone really well as we seek to defend the title won last year. Our opponent, DuBlanc, is a well-established team and we expect a tough game,” new coach Phillip Williams told the Jamaica Observer.

“However, we are confident in our preparations and are looking forward to coming away with a victory, which would provide a good platform for our title defence,” he added.

However, Arnett will be without their two top scorers from last season in captain Fabian Reid, through internal issues, and national striker Warner Brown, who has been transferred to Mount Pleasant.

Kimani Arbourne, Philando Wong and veteran Chavanny Willis are also absent but the Junglists welcome back homegrown Damari Deacon.

“Their absences are significant, but with their absence opportunities were created for some young players who have been doing great so far, and a lot of positive is expected from them,” Williams pointed out, adding that Deacon will play his part as one of the more experienced players in the squad.

The experienced Jermy Nelson and Shai Smith will have to lead from in front, along with the likes of Ricardo Thomas, Joel Jones, last year’s hero Rushane Thompson, who scored the winning goal in the final, Jamone Shepherd, Marlon Martin and young Giovanni Taylor.

The CFU Club Shield is the second-tier club football competition in the Caribbean. This year’s staging will take place from July 26 through August 3 in Trinidad and Tobago to determine the tournament’s next champion and award two berths to the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

Twenty-four teams are hunting for the two promotional spots to the Caribbean Cup. The competition will take place from July 26 to August 3 in Trinidad and Tobago, with three venues: Ato Boldon Stadium (Couva), Larry Gomes Stadium (Malabar), and Hasely Crawford Stadium (Port of Spain).