USA and Panama continue their Copa America campaign as they square off in a Group C clash on Thursday. The US have caught the eye in recent times and should have the upper hand over Panama, who have found things difficult lately.
Panama are coming off a 3-1 defeat to Uruguay in their opening Group C fixture. They were second best for much of the contest and fell three goals down before Michael Amir Murillo pulled one back deep into added time.
The overall display was not particularly encouraging as Panama struggled to offer much going forward. Thomas Christiansen’s men were also poor at the back as they gave away too many opportunities and could have lost by more.
USA began their campaign with a straightforward 2-0 victory over Bolivia. They were largely untroubled for much of the contest with first half goals from Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun sealing the win.
The hosts have plenty of attacking quality and showed flashes of their ability in the opening fixture. However, the defensive display will be particularly pleasing to manager Gregg Berhalter and USA will be targeting a similar display on Thursday.
How the bookies view it: Comfortable win for USA
The bookies have installed USA as overwhelming favourites, with a win priced at 1/3 by Betfred. A victory for Panama is valued at 7/1 while Betfred is also offering odds of 16/5 for a draw.
Head to head: Advantage USA
USA have a 19-4 Advantage with four draws from 27 previous matches against Panama. They claimed a 5-1 victory in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier in 2022 but lost on penalties in the Gold Cup last June.
Players to watch: Pulisic leading by example
Christian Pulisic opened the scoring for USA in the opening fixture and will be the one to watch on Thursday. The forward netted a hat-trick when both teams met in the World Cup qualifiers and is priced at 8/5 by Betfred to get on the score sheet once again.
Jose Farjado had a quiet outing in the opening fixture but remains a major goal threat for Panama. The striker has two goals in the last four meetings with USA and could be worth keeping an eye on at 4/1 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Jose Farjado’s goalscoring record for Panama means he could retain his place in the team despite his quiet outing in the opening fixture. Jose Rodriguez and Yoel Barcenas are also expected to provide support.
USA were impressive in the opening fixture and should retain much of the starting line-up. Folarin Balogun should continue to lead the line alongside Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah while Weston McKennie should feature in midfield.
Panama: Mosquera, Murillo, Farina, Cordoba, Miller, Davis, Rodriguez, Martinez, Carrasquilla, Barcenas, Farjado
USA: Turner, Robinson, Ream, Richards, Scally, Reyna, Adams, McKennie, Pulisic, Balogun, Weah
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been goals for both teams in three of their last four meetings and a repeat is priced at 11/10 with Betfred. Panama saw over 3.5 goals in the opening fixture and a similar outcome is priced at 9/4 by Betfred, who is also offering 5/6 for over 2.5.
Given the minimal odds for a straight USA victory, a win and over 2.5 goals should be considered at 6/5 with Betfred.
This Copa America match between Panama and USA will be played on Jun 27, 2024 and kick off at 23:00. Check below for our tipsters best Panama vs USA prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
