Costa Rica vs Panama

Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium is the venue as Costa Rica and Panama go head-to-head in their opening 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C encounter.

The upcoming match between Costa Rica and Panama in Fort Lauderdale will conclude the Monday double-header, marking another chapter in their longstanding and eventful history. Both teams are considered favorites to advance from Group C and will face each other for the seventh time in just three years. While Costa Rica had dominated Panama for much of the 20th century and the early 2000s, they now have a score to settle following their dual losses to Panama in the recent CONCACAF Nations League. ‘Los Ticos’ are anticipated to extend their impressive streak of progressing beyond the group stage in the Gold Cup for the 13th consecutive time. However, in order to avoid a potential encounter with continental powerhouse Mexico in the quarter-finals, winning Group C becomes crucial for them. Their recent record against Panama, with five losses in their last seven meetings (W1, D1), does not inspire confidence.

On the other hand, Panama faced disappointment at the CONCACAF Nations League finals earlier this month, as they couldn’t find the net in losses to Canada (2-0) and Mexico (1-0). Despite these narrow defeats, manager Thomas Christiansen remains optimistic as his men look to improve on their third-place finish in Group D of the 2021 edition of the tournament. Christiansen, who broke down in tears when Panama failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, will be keen to see Panama bounce back from their worst Gold Cup campaign in 16 years. They can draw confidence from their two victories over Costa Rica in the Nations League matches. However, a better start will be crucial, with Panama only managing three first-half goals since November 2022, which explains their underwhelming results in that period (W2, D4, L3).