Canada vs. Guatemala lineups, team news, score prediction: Eustaquio to return for Gold Cup knockouts

Seeking the nation's second Gold Cup crown in history, Jesse Marsch leads Canada into the knockout phase, with a meeting against Guatemala in the quarterfinals their first test.

Les Rouges breezed through the group stage, topping their four-team bundle with emphatic victories over El Salvador and Honduras plus a draw with Curacao.

106th-ranked Guatemala, meanwhile, finished second behind Panama in their group, with wins over Guadeloupe and Jamaica seeing their way through.

Victory in this match would set up a semifinal against either the United States or Costa Rica, with the former presenting a mouth-watering potential matchup for Canada's US-born boss.

The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.

MORE: Full Gold Cup schedule, results, fixtures, bracket, and more

Canada vs. Guatemala predicted lineups, team news

Head coach Jesse Marsch announced midfielder Ali Ahmed will not participate in the rest of the tournament after injuring his ankle against Curacao. Injured players cannot be replaced on the roster due to this year's edition of the rules.

Not with the team is star Alphonso Davies, who tore his ACL back in mid-March and will be out of action for considerable time. Also missing is injured defender Moise Bombito, who has been given the summer off with his club Nice starting next season a bit early thanks to Champions League qualifying. Stephen Eustaquio is on the Canada roster but is not with the team, instead participating with Porto in the Club World Cup.

Defender Luc de Fougerolles has emerged as a budding young star at the back, while Tani Oluwaseyi was exceptional up front keeping Cyle Larin on the bench. After missing the first two matches of the tournament with a slight injury, Alistair Johnston is back and should start the rest of the way on the right.

Canada predicted XI (4-4-2, right to left): St. Clair (GK) — Johnston, Waterman, de Fougerolles, Laryea — Buchanan, Choiniere, Saliba, Shaffelburg — J. David, Oluwaseyi.

Injured: Ahmed (ankle), Davies (ACL), Bombito (shoulder/fitness).
Suspended: None.
On a yellow card: Miller, de Fougerolles, P. David.

Full Canada squad

Goalkeepers: Dayne St. Clair, Maxime Crepeau

Defenders: Sam Adekugbe, Zorhan Bassong, Derek Cornelius, Luc de Fougerolles, Alistair Johnston, Jamie Knight-Lebel, Richie Laryea, Joel Waterman

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Tajon Buchanan, Mathieu Choiniere, Stephen Eustaquio, Ismael Kone, Nathan Saliba, Niko Sigur, Jacob Shaffelburg

Forwards: Jonathan David, Promise David, Daniel Jebbison, Cyle Larin, Jayden Nelson, Tani Oluwaseyi.

The Guatemala attack is led by former USA international Rubio Rubin who switched to represent Guatemala in 2022 after none of his seven USMNT senior appearances cap-tied him to his country of birth.

They have two players who feature prominently at MLS clubs. Goalkeeper Nicolas Hagen backs up American starter Patrick Schulte at the Columbus Crew while right-back Aaron Herrera plays for D.C. United.

Head coach Luis Fernando Tena decided not to call in veterans Alejandro Galindo or Carlos Mejia, both of whom have over 50 international caps but are now 33 years old.

Guatemala predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Hagan (GK) — Herrera, Pinto, Samayoa, Ardon — Castellanos, Rosales, Munoz — Escobar, Rubin, Lemus.

Injured: None.
Suspended: None.
On a yellow card: Munoz, Herrera, Robles, Santis, Morales, Altan.

Full Guatemala squad

Goalkeepers: Nicholas Hagen, Luis Moran, Kenderson Navarro.

Defenders: Carlos Aguilar, Jose Ardon, Aaron Herrera, Jose Morales, Jose Carlos Pinto, Stheven Robles, Nicolas Samayoa.

Midfielders: Pedro Altan, Oscar Castellanos, Matt Evans, Jonathan Franco, Kevin Ramirez, Jose Rosales, Rodrigo Saravia.

Forwards: Elmer Cardoza, Olger Escobar, Erick Lemus, Darwin Lom, Rudy Munoz, Arquimides Ordonez, Damian Rivera, Rubio Rubin, Oscar Santis.

Canada vs. Guatemala score prediction

Canada look as primed for a Gold Cup title push as they've ever been, with a squad full of both regular contributors performing on the European level plus up-and-coming young talent.

They should have no trouble with Guatemala, who they've lost to just twice in 13 all-time meetings since 1977, the last coming in a World Cup qualifier over 20 years ago. That 2004 match was also the last time Guatemala scored a goal against Canada, now on a run of five straight matches (three in competitive action) firing a blank.

Prediction: Canada 2-0 Guatemala

How to watch Canada vs. Guatemala: Live stream, TV channel

• TV channel (USA): 
  • English: FS1
  • Spanish: TUDN, Univision
• Streaming (USA): Fubo
• TV channel (Canada):
  • English: OneSoccer, TSN5, TLN
  • French: RDS
• Streaming (Canada): Fubo

This CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal match on Sunday, June 29 at 4 p.m. ET will be televised in the United States on FS1, with a Spanish-language broadcast on TUDN and Univision. All channels are available to stream on Fubo, who offer a free trial with new users.

In Canada, the match will be televised in English by both OneSoccer and TSN, with a French broadcast available on RDS. Like in the US, those options are both available to stream on Fubo Canada.