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With 16 thrilling encounters to go, the final eight teams that make up the Digicel Caribbean Cup Groups H and I all have high hopes of making it into the top four. Host country, Martinique, will play their first competitive matches of the tournament this week. The team coach, Guy-Michel Nisas, spoke exclusively to www.digicelfootball.com about the team’s preparation, their tough opponents in Group H and winning La Coupe de l’Outre-Mer (The Over-Seas Cup).

“The team has been training for about the past two weeks or so with preparations intensifying over the weekend. Although the Group H matches will be our first competitive matches in the Digicel Caribbean Cup, the team played in the La Coupe de l’Outre-Mer de football in Paris recently. La Coupe de l’Outre-Mer is a biennial football competition for the national football teams of French Overseas Territories – and former territories. This year the Martinique team won – beating former champions, Réunion, in the final. This has given them international, competitive experience – and, as winners, they are more confident going into the DCC.

“Over the last few weeks, the team has played – and won – five friendly matches against local teams here in Martinique. The boys were tired after the tournament in Paris so they needed some time to recuperate before they went into more serious training. However, now they are ready and fit again and, as I said, feeling confident from their win in France.

“Group H will be difficult. Cuba, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago are all strong sides and each present their individual challenges, but we have prepared and we are going to go out there and do our best.

“One of our strengths is our great team spirit. The Captain, Patrick Percin, who has represented Martinique 46 times and scored 15 goals, at 33 years of age, is a fantastic leader. Patrick really represents the colours of his team and his nation and the team look up to him. Overall, there is a very strong connection among the team and this has stood to us.

“For the Digicel Caribbean Cup 2010 we have two main objectives. We want to be among the top four to guarantee qualification to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but obviously we really want to win the DCC competition and add to our list of titles for 2010,” he concluded.

The final matches will be aired on FOX Television in North America and throughout the Caribbean; the finals will be aired live on free to air TV and radio.