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Panama square off against Costa Rica at the Estadio Rommel Fernández in CONCACAF Nations League action on Thursday.
The two Central American rivals have been drawn into Group B of League A in the competition. The table-toppers will advance to the knockout stages for a shot at winning the trophy, while the second-placed team will have to be content with an automatic qualification into the 2023 Gold Cup.
With Martinique being the third team in the group, the top spot will likely be decided between Panama and Costa Rica. The visiting side pipped Panama for a fourth-place finish in the World Cup qualifiers and will play New Zealand in the inter-confederation play-offs later this month.
Panama vs Costa Rica Head-to-Head
The two neighbors have locked horns 57 times across all competitions so far. Costa Rica have dominated the proceedings against their southern rivals, recording 31 wins in the fixture.
The hosts have 14 wins to their name while 12 games have ended in draws. This will be the first meeting between the two sides in the Nations League.
Panama have three wins in their last five encounters against Los Ticos but lost 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture when the two sides last met in January.
Panama form guide (all competitions): W-L-D-L-W
Costa Rica form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-D
Panama vs Costa Rica Team News
Panama
Twenty-three players have been called up for the game against Costa Rica by head coach Thomas Christiansen. There are no reported injuries or suspension concerns for them at the moment.
Injuries: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspension: None.
Unavailable: None.
Costa Rica
Luis Fernando Suárez announced a 27-man squad for the Nations League games and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against New Zealand. Cristian Gamboa, Alonso Martínez, Ronald Matarrita and José Guillermo Ortiz did not find a place in the squad.
Keylor Navas will not play in the Nations League games and will only be available for the game against New Zealand. From the initial squad, captain Bryan Ruiz and Ian Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19 and have been ruled out of the game.
Injuries: Cristian Gamboa, Alonso Martínez, Ronald Matarrita, José Guillermo Ortiz.
Doubtful: None.
Suspension: None.
Unavailable: Keylor Navas, Bryan Ruiz, Ian Lawrence.
Panama vs Costa Rica Predicted XIs
Panama (4-4-2): Luis Mejía (GK); Eric Davis, Jiovany Ramos, Fidel Escobar, Michael Amir Murillo; Adalberto Carrasquilla, Christian Martinez, Anibal Godoy, Gabriel Torres; José Luis Rodríguez, Rolando Blackburn
Costa Rica (4-2-3-1): Leonel Moreira (GK); Bryan Oviedo, Keysher Fuller, Francisco Calvo, Carlos Martínez; Gerson Torres, Yeltsin Tejeda; Orlando Galo, Brandon Aguilera, Johan Venegas; Joel Campbell
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Panama vs Costa Rica Prediction
Los Canaleros have a fully-fit squad for the competition while Costa Rica head into the campaign opener with some notable absentees. Panama also have home advantage, a huge factor in international games, but given the close proximity of the two nations, the Costa Rican players should have no problem adjusting to the environment there.
As both teams will be playing their first game since March, we expect them to be a bit rusty in this game, and given their recent head-to-head record (three goals scored in the last four games) a low-scoring draw might ensue in this match.
Prediction: Panama 1-1 Costa Rica
