As the group stages of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup draw to a close, Group B has the makings of a very exciting final round of games.
United States currently top the group on 4 points and they face the team at the bottom of the group, Nicaragua, in their final match. Unless there is a big shock, United States should win that match and finish on 7 points.
Panama, currently second in the group on 4 points, due to the fact they have scored one goal less than United States, know a win could send them top of the group. Martinique are third in the group, with 3 points and still have a very good chance of making the quarter-final for only the second time in their history.
Panama vs. Martinique
CONCACAF Gold Cup – Saturday 15th July 2017 – 9:30 am
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Draw Best Odd of: 13/5 at Ladbrokes |
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Panama
MartiniquePanama Form
The 2-1 win over Nicaragua last time out was a massive result for Panama. Having drawn with the United states in their opening game of the tournament, it was 5 games without a win for Panama prior to the game against Nicaragua.
While only 1 of those matches ended in defeat, a run of 4 draws suggested Panama were a tough team to beat but could not be relied upon to get the job done and win games.
They have fallen behind in both of their 2017 CONCACAF matches, coming back to draw with United States and to defeat Nicaragua. Panama will be hoping they can take the initiative in this game and get the first goal.
Martinique Form
With the two best third place teams qualifying for the quarter-final, Martinique still have a great chance of progressing in the competition.
The 2-0 win over Nicaragua in their first game meant they started the match with United States full of confidence. Having come back from 2-0 to equalise, Martinique would have been disappointed to lose the match 3-2 and finish with nothing to show for their efforts.
Having lost both their matches in the recent Caribbean Cup to Curacao and French Guyana, Martinique have done well to give themselves a chance of qualifying for the quarter-final of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Team News
Neither team have any major injury worries ahead of this game. Panama are set to continue with Ismael Diaz and Gabriel Torres in attack, having both scored a goal in their previous match against Nicaragua.
Martinique will be at full strength for this game and will call upon the services of Kevin Parsemain in attack, who has scored 3 goals in the tournament to date.
Top Betting Tips
Both teams have scored goals in this tournament but neither have looked particularly strong defensively. Panama have conceded in both games and Martinique conceded 3 goals in their previous match against the United States. Both teams to score is available at 4/5 with Ladbrokes.
A point would probably be enough to see both teams qualify and if results go their way in the Group A games, do not be surprised to see this one end level. The draw is on offer at 13/5 with Ladbrokes.
Finally, 11 of Panama’s last 14 games have seen under 2.5 goals and you can get the draw and under 2.5 goals at 7/2 with Ladbrokes.