Canada vs Panama Prediction: Concacaf Nations League Semi-Final Odds

Edgar Chaput
June 14, 2023

Neither country has a terrific history in such competitions, although it’s safe to argue that of the two Canada has surged the last couple of years with many top-division-worthy players in its roster. The game takes place on Thursday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas where the NFL’s Raiders host games.

Given Canada’s recent success on the international stage and performance in the Concacaf Nations League so far, the odds have them as -156 favourites. Panama is +400 and a draw is +245. This being a semi-final, extra-time and, if need be, penalties would decide the outcome should the score be tied after 90 minutes.

Canada -169
Draw +255
Panama +440

Canada vs Panama Betting Analysis

These being regional competitors, there is a decent amount of history between the sides dating back to 1996 when they first clashed. The North American team holds a 4-7-2 (win-draw-loss) advantage over that span.

That said, their most recent meeting was a little over a year ago in March 2022 when Panama claimed a 1-0 victory. One can argue that the Canadians were never invested in that game as it came days after qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, but the performance was rather tepid just the same.

Panama has come close to Concacaf glory twice in its history. It played finals in 2005 and 2013 but fell in each instance. For its part, Canada last performed this well 23 years ago at the 2000 Gold Cup when they hoisted the trophy by defeating Colombia.

Canada

Both Canada and Panama survived League A of this competition. John Herdman’s ensemble was equipped to face both Honduras and lesser known nation Caraçao in the group stage, group C. The latter was defeated easily in both matches, 4-0 at home in Vancouver, and 2-0 on the Caribbean island. Honduras posed a slightly more challenging threat and beat the Canadians 2-1 at home, but the maple leaf representatives avenged that with a 4-1 thrashing at BMO Field in Toronto.

If some names were unfamiliar to Canadians prior to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, they’re well known now. It starts with Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Speed, strength, and a keen offensive mind for those outbursts on the flank. Lest he be overlooked, Jonathan David had a career year in Ligue 1 with Lille. He notched 24 goals in 37 matches. An incredible figure which put him third in France behind Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazatte and PSG’s Kylian Mbappé. Cyle Larin also played well this year whilst on loan from Brugge to La Liga’s Real Valladolid.

Panama

Tomas Christiansen’s Panamanian national squad was pitted against Martinique and Costa Rica in league A’s Group B. Apart from a small blemish when visiting Martinique (0-0) Panama had a relatively easy time with its opponents, including a 5-0 drubbing of the same Martinique side when the latter had to visit the Central American nation. A 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in the final group match is what got the team this far.

While the Canadians enter this match with some interesting firepower, it should be noted that the Canaleros made it through their group without conceding a goal. Their top players in the tournament so far have been Edgar Barcenas, Alberto Quintero, and Ismael Diaz. Barcenas, who has two goals in the Nations League, plays for Mazatlan FC in the very good but oft-overlooked Liga MX in Mexico. It’s a disciplined squad that doesn’t quiver or quake under pressure, even though they face their biggest test of the campaign Thursday night.