To assure they maintain a top-four position in the final round of qualifying for World Cup 2022, Panama will need a win versus Honduras on Thursday at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City.

Heading into the final qualification window, Los Canaleros are clinging to a spot in the inter-confederation playoffs, currently sitting in fourth, a point above Costa Rica, while La H will miss the finals for a second successive time as they are dead last in the Octagon with three points.

Match preview

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It has been a difficult start to 2022 for Thomas Christiansen and his side, who did not do themselves any favours in the previous window, dropping two of their three encounters.

Those defeats to Costa Rica and Mexico have hampered their hopes of finishing in a top-three position, which would guarantee that they qualify for a second successive World Cup.

Los Canaleros may have the most challenging schedule on any CONCACAF side down the stretch of qualification, having to face the top two teams in the Octagon at the moment, the USA and Canada.

With Los Ticos breathing down their neck, three points on Thursday seem imperative to their chances of a return trip to the finals.

Interestingly, this group appear to perform better when falling behind in matches than they do when leading, as they have reacted well when trailing.

Their last three victories in the Octagon have come after conceding the opener, including a comeback victory in their previous encounter against the Hondurans, scoring three times in the final 13 minutes to erase a two-goal deficit and win 3-2.

The Panamanians are a physical side, tough to penetrate in the midfield, and who have played with an intelligent structure since Christiansen took over, losing three of their four matches in this qualifying round by a single goal.

Maintaining early momentum and remaining sharp through 90 minutes has proven to be quite difficult for them, as eight of their 13 goals conceded in the Octagon have come in the second half.

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Honduras have had a forgettable qualifying campaign this go-round, as time seems to have caught up to this ageing squad.

Los Catrachos are in danger of going winless in this competition for the first time since the 1990 campaign with only three draws after 11 games.

Not even the presence of an experienced international manager in Hernan Dario Gomez has been enough to change their fortunes, as Honduras have lost all six matches played since the former Panama boss took over in October.

For a group as experienced as La H are on paper, they have looked quite fallible, making their share of mental errors in the previous qualifying window, and losing those three matches by a combined score of 8-0.

La H have not won a fixture when conceding the opening goal since beating Mexico 3-2 in their final CONCACAF qualifying fixture for the 2018 finals.

They struggled to find an answer when trailing earlier this year in their matches versus Canada, El Salvador and the USA, rarely showing much urgency to attack.

Two of their final three qualifiers will be played away from home, which does not bode well for a side looking to win their first competitive game since defeating Panama 3-2 in their second group stage encounter at the Gold Cup last summer.

If you do not count that match, in which they were technically the visitors in Houston, La H have not won a fixture in enemy territory since blanking Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in the 2019 CONCACAF Nations League group stage, a contest which took place in Port of Spain.

Team News

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Panama striker Gabriel Torres can earn his 100th cap for the national team should he see the field on Thursday, while Alberto Quintero has a chance to move beyond Roman Torres into fourth in all-time appearances for his country.

Nashville midfielder Anibal Godoy, a central figure in this Panamanian side, is searching for his third goal of 2022 qualifying, notching the winner in an upset victory over the United States in October of last year.

Luis Mejia has posted two clean sheets in the Octagon for Panama, both of which came in victories at home, while their top attacking option has been Cecilio Waterman, who has seven goals in qualifying, which is good for fourth, one behind David Rugamas of El Salvador.

Striker Romell Quioto notched his first domestically for his club side CF Montreal this past weekend, and he is one of only three Honduras players to have found the back of the net in qualifying, along with Alberth Elis of Bordeaux and Alexander Lopez from Alajuelense in Costa Rica.

The frigid temperatures of Minnesota were too much for several Hondurans to handle in their previous fixture as Quioto, Luis Lopez and Diego Rodriguez were all taken off at half time in that 3-0 defeat to the US in early February, as the temperature fell to minus 14 degrees Fahrenheit with the Windchill.

Goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar collected his fifth cap for the national team in that encounter, while midfielders Kervin Arriaga from Minnesota United and Bryan Acosta of the Colorado Rapids both sat out of that match.

Panama possible starting lineup:
Mejia; Davis, Cummings, Escobar, Murillo; Godoy, Carrasquilla; Barcenas, Quintero, Waterman; Blackburn

Honduras possible starting lineup:
Menjivar; Elvir, Figueroa, Maldonado, Quaye; Sacaza, Alvarez, Arriaga, Acosta; Quioto, Elis

We say: Panama 1-0 Honduras

The Hondurans have nothing but pride to play for at this stage, so we expect to see more urgency from Panama, who know the importance of winning this match with the standings so close.

La Marea Roja have more organisation and balance in their team than La H, and they have not lost a game on their home soil since a 3-0 defeat to Mexico in the 2019 CONCACAF Nations League.

Written by
Joel Lefevre

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