Canada vs. Aruba in World Cup qualifying: What you need to know

Four games (potentially) in 11 days. That’s the daunting task facing Canada this month as it resumes its Concacaf qualifying campaign for the 2020 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The gruelling slog for John Herdman’s Canadian squad begins on Saturday against Aruba. Canada, currently 70th in the FIFA world rankings, boasts players the calibre of Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, so it should have no trouble with No. 205 Aruba. These two nations have never played each other before at senior-team level.

“We have respect for our opponents, but our focus is on us and what we’re capable of doing,” Canadian central defender Steven Vitória said on Thursday. “We know how important this game is, and it’s one step at a time. Our focus is on Aruba and, during those 90 minutes, we want to be at our best, like we have been doing until now.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game between Canada and Aruba at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.