Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Panama
Match Time & Date:
03/09/2021
03:05
Prediction: 1-1
Costa Rica
Estadio Rommel Fernandez Gutierrez will host Friday’s qualifier between Panama and Costa Rica, the two teams who failed to impress at the Gold Cup. Panama finished third in Group D, with the team failing to make it to the knockout stages of the competition, while Costa Rica were beaten by Canada in the quarter-finals. Los Canaleros are eager to kick off the third stage of the WC qualifiers in style, but this game will be anything but a walk in the park for the hosts.
Captain Roman Torres has been left out of the squad, while Rolando Blackburn and Jair Catuy, who play in the Bolivian top flight, made the cut. Los Ticos, on the other hand, welcome first-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas back to the squad. Considering that the visitors are likely to rely on their solid defence in the opener, we are tempted to put our money on under 2.5 goals.
Highlighted Player (Anibal Godoy):
Anibal Godoy is a professional footballer who plays for Panama national football team. The powerful midfielder was born on February 10, 1990 and he has been playing for los Ticos since March 4, 2010 when he made his debut for the national team.
Anibal Godoy played full 90 minutes in the 2-1 win over Venezuela and he scored his first goal for Panama four years late in a 3-1 victory over El Salvador. Speaking of his club career, Godoy played for Chepo of Panama from 2007 to 2010 and he moved to Europe in the summer of 2013, signing a deal with Hungarian outfit Honved.
After playing 24 league games (one goal) for Honved, Godoy signed for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes in August 2015. Anibal Godoy is a defensive midfielder and his preferred foot is left. His contract with San Jose should expire in December, 2017 and it has to be noted that he began his youth career Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina.
Highlighted Team (Costa Rica):
Los Ticos are administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation and are members of the CONCACAF confederation competing at the international stage since 1921, although it was not until 1927 that they had become the FIFA members.
Costa Rica is the most successful national football team in the history of Central America with eight championships and their decorated reputation was upheld in 2014 when the current Central American champions made an imposing impression during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Having reached the quarter-finals, Costa Ricans continue to be a thorn in the side for a many bigger soccer nations.
Alvaro Saborio is the most-capped member of the current team captained by Bryan Ruiz, but the most prominent star of the squad is definitely Real Madrid goalkeeper and 2016 Champions League winner Keylor Navas. Arsenal forward Joel Campbell is also a notable player whose 2014 FIFA World Cup performances have been nothing short of impressive.
Sturm Graz
Girona 
Aston Villa 
Juventus 
Celtic
Club Brugge
Dinamo Zagreb
Borussia Dortmund 
Liverpool
Real Madrid 
Monaco 
Benfica
