Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the quarterfinal matchups in the CONCACAF Nations League will take place on Friday in San José, where Costa Rica will face Panama. Here's a suggested bet on the outcome of this match with favorable chances of success.
Match Preview
The Costa Rican national team continues to impress on the international stage. In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the team showed excellent form, securing two victories in the first matches of the second stage.
This summer, Costa Rica participated in the Copa América, drawing with Brazil (0:0) and beating Paraguay (2:1). However, a loss to Colombia meant they couldn't progress to the tournament's knockout stages. In the ongoing Nations League, Costa Rica remains unbeaten—two wins and two draws. With eight points, they secured the top spot in their group.
Panama is experiencing one of the best runs in its history. At the 2024 Copa América, Thomas Christiansen’s team made an historic run, reaching the quarterfinals. This was a major surprise, as they managed to outpace teams like the United States and Bolivia in the group stage.
However, in the knockout stage, Panama faced a tough opponent—Colombia—and despite their efforts, suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat. After the Copa América, Panama played two friendly matches, losing to the United States (0:2) and Canada (1:2). This marked three consecutive losses for the team.
Probable Lineups
- Costa Rica: Sequeira, Calvo, Vargas, Mitchell, Quiros, Madrigal, Flores, Zamora, Vargas, Martinez, Ugalde
- Panama: Mosquera; Escobar, Farina, Miller; Murillo, Martinez, Carrasquilla, Blackman; Barkenas, Guerrero, Rodriguez
Match Facts & Head-to-Head
- Panama has won the last five encounters against Costa Rica.
- The "Over 2.5 Total Goals" bet has hit in three of the last matches.
- Only in two of the last five encounters has the "Both Teams to Score" bet been successful.
Prediction
Bookmakers favor Costa Rica in this matchup, but the odds on a home victory are quite attractive at 2.32. Our suggested bet for the match is “Over 2.0 Total Goals” at odds of 1.60.
