Costa Rica and Panama get their 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign underway when they square off at the DRV PNK Stadium on Monday (June 26).
Luis Suarez Guzman’s side will look to make a much better outing following their disappointing Nations League campaign. Costa Rica continue to struggle, as they fell to 3-1 defeat against Ecuador in a friendly at the Subaru Park on Wednesday.
Los Canaleros have lost their last three outings, including a 1-0 defeat to Panama in the Nations League group stage in March. Costa Rica will look to stop the rot as they eye a third Gold Cup title and their first since 1989.
Meanwhile, Panama were denied third place in the just-concluded Nations League campaign, as they suffered a 1-0 loss against Mexico last time out.
That followed a 2-0 defeat to runners-up Canada on June 18, which snapped their two-game winning streak. While Thomas Christiansen’s will look to arrest their slump, they have struggled on the road, where they’ve won only one of seven outings across competitions.
Costa Rica vs Panama Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- With eight wins from the last 21 meetings, Panama boast a slightly upper hand in the fixture.
- Costa Rica have picked up one fewer win in that period, while the spoils have been shared on six occasions.
- Panama are unbeaten in six of their last seven games against Los Canaleros, claiming five wins since October 2017.
- Guzman’s men have won just one of their last seven away games, losing twice since September 2022.
Costa Rica vs Panama Prediction
Still licking their wounds from their UEFA Nations League disappointment, Panama look to pick up a morale-boosting result and get an early march on in Group C. Christiansen’s men have enjoyed the better of the fixture, so they should pick up all three points on Monday.
