Panama can maintain their 100% record in 2026 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying when they travel to the Nicaragua National Football Stadium to face Montserrat on Sunday.
On matchday one, Montserrat lost 4-1 to Nicaragua, while Los Canaleros defeated Guyana 2-0 to claim their first victory of 2024.
Match preview
© Reuters
For a brief moment, Montserrat stunned the pro-Nicaraguan crowd in their opening match of qualifying, equalising just six minutes after going behind, but in the end, it was not to be.
That defeat ended their two-match winning run in all competitions, as they conceded four goals in a single game for the first time since a 4-0 defeat versus Haiti in March 2023.
Before their matchday one defeat, the Emerald Boys had not lost in five successive World Cup qualifiers, a run which began with a 2-2 draw versus Curacao in March 2015.
Half of their points in the opening round of 2022 qualifying occurred when they were the home team, including their first-ever triumph in this competition, 4-0 over the US Virgin Islands in a June 2021 encounter played in the Dominican Republic.
Under Lee Bowyer, a former two-time Player of the Year at Leeds United, this side finished the previous Nations League B tournament with nine points, the most they had ever accumulated in a single Nations League campaign.
The last time they claimed a positive result versus a Central American opponent was in March 2021, when they scored a minute before the 90 to claim a 1-1 draw with El Salvador.
© Reuters
A two-match losing run in all competitions ended for Panama on Thursday as they began their qualification journey on the right foot.
It was the first time they had scored in the second half of a game since their 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in November 2023, ending a three-match goalless run across all competitions.
Thomas Christiansen, who briefly managed Leeds United years ago, has won his last two World Cup qualifiers in charge of the Panamanians, with his side failing to concede on both occasions.
Both of those triumphs occurred in Panama, but Los Canaleros have lost three successive World Cup qualification affairs away from home, including a 5-1 thumping versus the United States which ended their 2022 finals aspirations.
Panama have won their last five matches in all competitions when leading at the half and have not lost when scoring first since a 4-1 defeat against Canada in October 2021.
Since suffering a surprising 2-0 defeat to Bermuda in September 2019, La Marea Roja have only lost one encounter versus a Caribbean opponent, 1-0 to Jamaica in the third-place Nations League playoff match in March.
Team News
© Reuters
There were five new faces in the Montserrat starting 11 who did not begin their previous match in November against Barbados, including Trent Carter-Rogers, Lenni Cirino, Brandon Comley, Lyle Taylor and Kaleem Simon.
Cerino, Carter-Rogers and Mylan Benjamin each collected their first international caps this week, while Taylor can surpass Michael Williams for 10th in all-time appearances should he feature on Sunday.
Their only goal versus the Nicaraguans came courtesy of Brandon Barzey, equalling Spencer Weir-Daley and Vladimir Farrell for the fifth-most all-time with the national team (three) and just one behind Bradley Woods-Garness and Jay'lee Hodgson in fourth.
Only five players who began the Panamanian fixture versus Jamaica maintained their place in the starting 11 on Thursday, Jose Cordoba, Roderick Miller, Anibal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla and Cecilio Waterman.
Carlos Harvey and Martin Krug were unused substitutes in their opener and remain the only two players selected for his window without a senior international cap.
Cristian Martinez netted the winner against Guyana, his first with the national team, with Jose Luis Rodriguez scoring three minutes later, while Luis Mejia made two stops to collect a clean sheet.
Montserrat possible starting lineup:
Carter-Rogers; Gordon, Daniels, Dorsett, J. Taylor; Comley, A. Dyer, Barzey; Woods-Garness, L. Taylor, Allen
Panama possible starting lineup:
Mejia; Anderson, Cordoba, Miller; Blackman, Godoy, Carrasquilla, Davis; Martinez, Yanis; Fajardo
We say: Montserrat 0-3 Panama
There is a good amount of continuity at Montserrat, with many players featuring at various clubs in the EFL, but we believe they need more experience against the stronger opponents in this region.
Panama are among the strongest sides in CONCACAF qualifying, and their midfield workhorses should be able to win their share of possession and create openings this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
