Panama team captain Felipe Baloy. (Photo : Getty Images)
Middling teams Panama (2-1-1, 7 points) and Jamaica (1-2-1, 4 points) will look to earn the second Group B spot in the fourth round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF qualifiers as the two teams square off at the Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama City on Sep. 2, Friday.
The top two finishers of all three groups in the fourth round will advance to the fifth and final round of the qualifiers called the Hex, which in turn will determine the top three teams to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Panama defeated Jamaica during their first meeting in November of last year, 2-0, at the Independence Park in Kingston and they are favored to win again this time in their home field.
Los Canaleros pulled off a 1-0 win over lowly team Haiti in the previous matchday also at the Estadio Rommel Fernández to gain the solo second spot in the group at the moment, via Soccerway.
Team captain Felipe Baloy scored the winning goal with nine minutes left before full time to give head coach Patrice Neveu's side their second victory so far in the group stage.
If the team could secure another win against Jamaica, then they will be a lock to advance to the next round of competitions.
Meanwhile, Jamaica had struggled all throughout the group stage qualifiers, winning only once, against Haiti in November as well, while losing two and drawing one.
Head coach Winfried Schäfer's team still has a chance to advance to the final round if they can win this match and their remaining fixture against Haiti next week to conclude the fourth round.
The Reggae Boyz were thrashed by Central America champions Costa Rica, 0-3, during the previous matchday at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José as the squad continues to falter on both ends of the pitch, as per the Jamaica Observer.
Jamaica has scored only twice in four matches in this group stage as they continue to struggle on offense. The team is set to miss striker Darren Mattocks in this match as the newly-acquired Portland Timbers player is sidelined by a hamstring injury.
The predicted result is a close 2-1 decision for Panama.
Panama starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Penedo; Miller, Machado, Baloy, Gomez; Cooper, Quintero, Henriquez, Buitrago; Torres, Tejada
Jamaica starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Blake; Hector, Morgan, Taylor, Lawrence; Mariappa, McAnuff; McCleary, Watson, Austin; Barnes
