FIFA World no. 63 Panama (1-0-0, 3 points) is scheduled to clash with 17th-ranked Mexico (1-0-0, 3 points) at their home field of Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama City on Nov. 15, Tuesday as the fifth round of the CONCACAF 2018 World Cup qualifying tournament continues.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 9:00 p.m. UTC-5. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Panama finished the Group B competitions in the fourth round of CONCACAF qualifiers at second place behind Costa Rica. The team began their Hexagonal stint with a 1-0 win over a hard-fighting Honduras XI on the road at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula last Friday, Fox News Latino reported.
Young center back Fidel Escobar was able to score the winning goal for head coach Hernán Darío Gómez's squad in the 22nd minute to open their campaign on a high note.
Only the top three teams at the end of the Hex will outright qualify to the 2018 World Cup in Russia so every game in the qualifying tournament is crucial for all six teams involved.
Meanwhile, Mexico once again displayed that they are the best team in the CONCACAF confederation as they turned back a gritty challenge from the United States, 2-1, on the road at the Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio also last Friday, as per USA Today.
Porto winger Miguel Layun was the man of the match for head coach Juan Carlos Osorio's side as he contributed a goal and an assist for El Tri.
Layun netted the opening goal in the 20th minute of the contest to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the halftime break.
Hamburger SV forward Bobby Wood then leveled the count in the 49th as he directed a cross by fellow American striker Jozy Altidore towards the net of Mexico goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera.
The game looked headed into a stalemate and a share of a point in the standings for the US and Mexico, but Layun assisted on midfielder Rafael Marquez's goal just one minute left before the full-time whistle was blown.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 3-1 win for Mexico.
Panama starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Penedo; Machado, Escobar, Baloy, Ovalle; Gomez; Barcenas, Cooper, Godoy, Quintero; Perez
Mexico starting lineup (3-5-2 formation): Talavera; Reyes, Marquez, Moreno; Vela, Guardado, Herrera, Corona, Layun; dos Santos, Hernandez