England and Panama meet at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with Group L still to be decided. England sit on four points after two matches and know victory guarantees top spot, while a draw should also be enough unless Croatia produce a heavy win elsewhere.
Thomas Tuchel's side have shown flashes of their best football without yet producing a complete performance. Panama, meanwhile, are already eliminated after back-to-back defeats but will be determined to avoid leaving the tournament without a point or a goal.
England made an outstanding start to the tournament by beating Croatia 4-2 in one of the games of the opening round. Harry Kane scored twice, Jude Bellingham controlled the second half and Tuchel's tactical changes transformed the contest after the break. That performance suggested England were capable of going deep into the tournament.
Their second outing was very different. Ghana defended with discipline, denied England space between the lines and forced a frustrating 0-0 draw. England controlled possession and territory but lacked the speed and precision required to break down a compact defensive block. Tuchel was quick to defend his players afterwards, reminding supporters that qualification remains firmly in England's hands and that tournament football is often defined by results rather than performances.
A victory here would secure first place in the group and, potentially, a more favourable knockout route.
Panama's tournament has been disappointing but not without moments of encouragement. Thomas Christiansen's side pushed Ghana all the way before losing to a stoppage-time goal and then suffered another narrow 1-0 defeat against Croatia. Two defeats leave them eliminated, yet neither performance reflected a side completely outclassed.
The bigger issue has been in attack. Panama have failed to score in either match despite creating promising moments, and the lack of a consistent goalscorer has ultimately cost them. Christiansen has built a side around organisation, physicality and defensive discipline, but against stronger opponents they have struggled to convert pressure into clear-cut chances.
How the bookies view it
England are priced at 2/11, implying an 84.6% probability of victory. The draw is available at 7/1, implying 12.5%, while Panama are 17/1, implying 5.6%.
Over 2.5 goals is priced at 9/20, implying 69.0%, while both teams to score is available at 5/4, implying 44.4%.
Head to Head: Panama thrashed as Three Lions win only previous meeting
The only previous meeting came at the 2018 World Cup, when England won 6-1 in Nizhny Novgorod. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as Gareth Southgate's side secured qualification for the knockout stages.
Player to Watch: Harry Kane to score again
Harry Kane enters the final group game level with Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals for England and one strike away from becoming the country's outright leading scorer in the competition.
His performances have remained strong despite drawing a blank against Ghana. Across the opening two matches Kane has generated 1.51 xG, recorded 10 shots and tested the goalkeeper four times. He scored twice against Croatia and consistently found dangerous positions against Ghana despite limited space inside the penalty area.
His qualifying campaign underlined his importance even further. Kane scored eight goals in eight appearances, averaging a goal every 85 minutes and finishing as England's leading scorer once again.
Against a Panama defence that has already conceded decisive goals to both Ghana and Croatia, Kane should receive more opportunities than he managed in Boston. With England looking to build momentum before the knockout rounds, this feels an ideal opportunity for their captain to move clear of Lineker.
Predicted Line-ups
England 4-2-3-1: Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Eze, Anderson; Madueke, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
Panama 5-4-1: Mosquera; Murillo, Cordoba, Ramos, Andrade, Blackman; Rodriguez, Barcenas, Harvey, Martinez; Waterman.
Anything else catch the eye?
England to win to nil stands out.
Panama remain without a goal after two matches and the underlying numbers suggest that is no coincidence. They have generated only 1.28 xG across the tournament and created very little against Croatia, producing just 0.04 xG on target over 90 minutes. Their attacking approach relies heavily on counter-attacks, but they have lacked the quality to turn those opportunities into goals.
England's defensive record has been equally encouraging. They have conceded only 0.87 xGA across their opening two games, while Ghana failed to register a single shot on target despite defending well enough to earn a draw. The structure Tuchel has built continues to limit high-quality opportunities against them.
England should dominate possession, create enough chances to win comfortably and have the defensive organisation to complete another clean sheet.
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