Demar Phillips

Jamaica's high-riding Reggae Boyz will be aiming to hurdle another challenge when they face regional rivals Antigua and Barbuda in a Group A CONCACAF semi-final round World Cup Qualifier at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in St John's, Antigua this evening at 6 o'clock.

The Reggae Boyz, despite conceding late, looked a cut above Central American rivals Guatemala when they bowed into World Cup qualifying last Friday at the National Stadium, and will be confident that they can score another victory today over rivals they have beaten five times in their last six meetings.

Head coach Theodore Whitmore is, however, taking nothing for granted as according to him those results will count for little later today.

"No team in this World Cup qualification is going to be easy, especially because we know it's a Caribbean rivalry," said Whitmore shortly after his team managed a 2-1 win inside 'The Office' against Guatemala.

"We expect a tough showing from the Antiguan team and we are up for the challenge and we are preparing for them as well," Whitmore added.

The Antiguans, known as the 'Benna Boys' showed enough against the Americans last Friday to suggest that they will be no pushovers.

They were beaten 3-1 but coach Tom Curtis remains optimistic.

"Jamaica are a big team but we can handle them. It's the measure of how far Antigua have come when people are saying to us you have to beat Jamaica on Tuesday," Curtis told concacaf.com.

Antigua and Barbuda knocked Jamaica out of the 1989 Caribbean Cup tournament with a 1-0 win but Jamaica have won the last five meetings between the countries.

Demar Phillips and Ryan Johnson, the goalscorers against Guatemala, will be key for Jamaica again today. Forward Luton Shelton who started last Friday but left the field with a groin problem is hoping to shake off the injury.

"I'm not thinking too much about the groin, when I got the rebound shot (against Guatemala) I took it and felt a little tug and after that I was scared because I really don't want to get injured so I thought the best thing was to protect myself and come back for the next game," said Shelton with regards to his fitness.

Antigua and Barbuda's main man will be the 26-year-old Nottingham Forest forward Dexter Blackstock. He is a proven scorer who knocked in eight goals for Forest in the Championship last season. He also has premier league experience for Queen's Park Rangers in the 2006-07 season when he scored 13 goals in 39 appearances.

Jamaica with three points are joint leaders of Group A with the United States. Guatemala will host the Americans at 9 p.m. today.