Guatemala vs Panama: Gold Cup Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

On Friday, at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, Guatemala will face Panama for the chance to claim first place in Group C of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

 On the opening day of play, both teams took home victories; Panama beat Guadeloupe 5-2, while Los Chapines blanked Jamaica 1-0 to tie for first.

Previous Matches and Head to head

 In spite of a few shaky defensive showings before the competition, Guatemala proved on Monday that they can still hold their own.

 In their last two Gold Cup warm-up matches, Luis Fernando Tena's squad let in five goals. However, in their second clean sheet of 2025, they limited the Jamaicans to just two shots on goal.

 This streak of Guatemala being undefeated in their past five group stage matches began on matchday three of the 2021 edition.

 They have been defensively tight throughout that time, keeping a clean sheet in each of their last four Gold Cup group games.

 In 1969, when this tournament was called the CONCACAF Championship, they finished as runners-up. If they win on Friday, it will be the first time they win consecutive games in this competition since 1969.

 Although Los Mayas have won both of their matches against Central American opponents so far this season, they haven't defeated Panama since August 2005 (2-1).

 With yet another easy win on the first day of the Gold Cup, Panama is well-positioned to advance to the next round for the second year in a row.

 In their past five games, Thomas Christiansen's squad has won four times, with a total score of 10-2 in their last three.

 Similar to Guatemala, Panama has gone undefeated in their past five Gold Cup group matches, with only one loss in their last six games.

 The Panamanians have scored multiple goals in each of their past seven Gold Cup matches, demonstrating their strong performance in the attacking third.

 Including their run to the semifinals a year ago, they have allowed only two goals in the first half of their last eight Gold Cup matches.

 In their past eleven matches against Guatemala, Los Canaleros have won ten of them. The one time they lost was in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League, when they lost by a score of 1-2.

Guatemala x Panama Team News

 Only three players—José Carlos Pinto, Nicholas Hagen, and Jose Morales—remained in Guatemala's starting lineup from their World Cup qualifying loss to Jamaica until their victory in this tournament.

 With his 15th goal for the national team in their matchday one victory, Oscar Santis is now tied for tenth all-time with three other players; if he scores again on Friday, he may tie for seventh with four others.

 The only players to retain their starting positions from their World Cup qualifying win over Nicaragua were Ismael Diaz, Jose Palomares Gutierrez, Anibal Godoy, Fidel Escobar, Andres Andrade, and Michael Murillo, while Anibal Godoy became the record holder for the Panamanian men in his 149th appearance in the win over Guadeloupe.

 This week, Diaz scored twice against Guadeloupe, while Eduardo Guerrero, Cristian Martinez, and Tomas Abdiel Rodriguez Mena (the latter of whom scored for the senior squad) all found the back of the net.

Our Predictions

Panama to win @ 1.83 on Sky247.ng

 Friday should be a breeze for Panama, as they have recently had a number of long runs in CONCACAF events and have found a variety of methods to win tight games.

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