Central America powerhouse teams Costa Rica (4-0-1, 13 points) and Panama (3-1-1, 10 points) square off to conclude their 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF qualifiers fourth round stints in a game set on Sep. 6, Tuesday at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. UTC+6. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
By topping Group B competitions, Costa Rica and Panama have already advanced in the fifth round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, also called the Hex, where they await the other top two squads from Group A and Group C.
The six teams will then compete in a double round-robin tournament, dubbed as the Hex, where the top three teams will automatically qualify to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The fourth-place finisher will enter an inter-confederation playoffs to still have a chance to land a berth in Russia.
Costa Rica avoided an embarrassing loss to Haiti in the previous matchday by escaping with a 1-0 win over Les Grenadiers on the road at the Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince on Sep. 2, as per the Tico Times.
It was a close game from the kick off as the hosts tried to earn their first win of the tournament after four winless tries. Fortunately for head coach Oscar Ramírez, Herediano midfielder Randall Azofeifa was able to break the deadlock at the 71st to keep their record unblemished in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Panama also blanked Jamaica, 2-0, in their matchday 5 affair at the Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama City also on Sep. 2 to seal their place in the next round of qualifiers, Boxscore reported.
Striker Gabriel Torres and winger Abdiel Arroyo provided the goals for head coach Hernán Darío Gómez's side at the 28th minute and in injury time respectively, propelling them into the Hexagonal for the second consecutive time.
Costa Rica and Panama joins Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago as the first four teams to advance in the Hex this year.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a close 2-1 victory for Costa Rica.
Costa Rica starting lineup (5-3-2 formation): Pemberton; Duarte, Gamboa, Waston, Acosta, Matarrita; Azofeifa, Borges, Bolanos; Ruiz, Ureña
Panama starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Penedo; Baloy, Torres, Machado, Miller; Gomez, Cooper, Quintero, Barcenas; Perez, Torres