While Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dwight Yorke has made no secret of his desire to see his side keep a rare clean sheet, he also fully acknowledged that shutting out Costa Rica on their home turf will be no easy feat.

Yorke, whose Soca Warriors face the Costa Ricans in their final Concacaf World Cup qualifying Group B fixture at the Estadio Nacional at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, believes that defensive discipline will be critical as his team looks to seal progression to the next round. The Soca Warriors currently sit second on seven points behind Costa Rica (nine points), while third-placed Grenada (four points) will be up against fourth-placed St Kitts and Nevis (three points) in the early group contest.

"I think we're still developing in those areas. We're a team that seems to be a reactive team and not a proactive team... we always seem to concede and then have to go after teams to try and win a game. Even though we're getting better in those areas, these are the kind of games where we have to try and have a clean sheet in terms of winning the game. It's an area we're trying to improve in," Yorke said during a pre-match press conference in Central America.

The Soca Warriors’ defensive vulnerabilities have been a talking point throughout Yorke’s tenure—his side has conceded in seven of their eight matches since he took charge last November. In their most recent outing, Trinidad and Tobago traded goals early with St Kitts and Nevis before eventually securing a 6-2 win.

However, this top-of-the-table challenge is of a different magnitude. A heavy loss for Trinidad and Tobago by four or more goals, combined with a similar margin of victory for third-placed Grenada over St Kitts and Nevis, could knock Yorke’s men out of the competition. As such, the Soca Warriors will have to put every foot right.

"The games are relatively tight, and I expect this one to be exactly the same. I expect both teams to really be going at each other, and hopefully on this occasion we will get the better of Costa Rica at home," York said.

But, adding to the difficulty of breaching the Costa Rican defence will be the return of former Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, whose presence in goal is sure to galvanize the home side.

"I’m sure every Costa Rican will be happy because he’s such a big personality, someone who has done amazing things in his playing career. He’s a renowned figure in world football. I’m sure not just the fans, but the players will be uplifted by his return," the former Manchester United and Soca Warriors striker noted.

Still, he is defiant about the challenge ahead.

"We know the threat the Costa Ricans will cause us. So, we are going to make sure we are prepared for battle," Yorke ended.