Guatemala will take on Panama at Q2 Stadium in the group stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Friday. The match winner will likely finish atop the Group C standings.
Los Chapines met Jamaica in their campaign opener and registered a 1-0 win. Óscar Santis scored the only goal of the match in the 32nd minute, with Darwin Lom picking up the assist. It was their first win against Jamaica in the Gold Cup.
Los Canaleros, the runners-up from the 2023 edition, overcame Guadeloupe 5-2 in their campaign opener. Ismael Díaz bagged a first-half brace. Cristian Martínez and Eduardo Guerrero scored in the first half, while Tomás Rodríguez added the fifth goal in stoppage time.
Los Chapines went unbeaten in the group stage in 2023, finishing atop the Group D table. They won their campaign opener while keeping a clean sheet and will look to build on that form. They have failed to score in six of their last eight games in this fixture, which is a cause for concern.
Los Canaleros were also unbeaten in the group stage in the previous edition, and their only loss in the campaign was registered in the final against Mexico. They have won their last four competitive games in this fixture, scoring nine goals while conceding just once.
The 2023 runners-up have been the dominant side in this fixture recently and should be able to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Guatemala 1-2 Panama
Tip 1: Result - Panama to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes