Martinique vs Panama prediction: NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA: Gold Cup betting tips on match 2023-06-30 22:30.
After defeating El Salvador 2-1 to get their 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign off to the perfect start, Martinique know that victory in this game will send them through to the knockouts with a game to spare. Such an outcome would be nothing short of spectacular considering their woeful history in this competition, which includes five straight group stage exits since their best ever Gold Cup performance when losing in the 2002 quarter-final.
It’s not all rosy for Marc Collat’s side though, with key defender Jonathan Rivierez unavailable after his straight red card in their tournament opener. That selection headache could put a spanner in Martinique’s search to register a fourth straight victory, a feat that would match their longest winning streak since a similar four-game run in the Nations League between 2018 and 2019.
Having also won their opening game with a 2-1 scoreline, Panama can secure their own progression to the knockout phase with a game remaining should they defeat Martinique. Currently ranked as the fifth-best side in CONCACAF, the Panamanians will hope to justify their favouritism against a Martinique side not even recognised by FIFA, and the fact they’ve never conceded a H2H goal should bolster that belief (W3, D1).
Panama have scored a rather impressive nine goals across the four previous meetings, so another thumping victory without reply could be on the cards in spite of the Canal Men’s patchy form since last November (W3, D4, L4). Anything but qualification would be seen as a huge failure at this point, with Panama advancing to the knockout phase in eight of their last nine Gold Cup appearances.
Key battle: Kévin Fortuné has proven key in Martinique’s relative success so far at the Gold Cup, scoring in both their qualification final and the eventual winner in their first round victory. Trying to stop him will be Panama and Anderlecht defender Michael Murillo, but expect the tenacious full-back to pose an attacking threat too, having directly contributed to three goals in as many caps since the end of the club campaign (G2, A1).
Hot streak: None of Panama’s last eight games have produced over 1.5 first half goals.