Qatar vs Panama Predictions

• Qatar have five clean sheets in their last eight games.
• Panama have four clean sheets in their last eight games.
• Qatar are unbeaten in their last eight games, Panama have one defeat in their last eight.

Little to separate Qatar and Panama

Guest nation Qatar get their Gold Cup campaign underway at midnight on Tuesday against Panama in Group D.

Both teams should have genuine hopes of progressing to the knockout stages, with Honduras and Granada completing the group.

Qatar arrive in good form after seven wins in their last eight games and much of that success has been built on solid defensive foundations as they have five clean sheets during that time.

The Asian outfit, ranked 58 in the world by Fifa, have picked up some eye-catching results in 2021 – including a draw with Ireland and wins over Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.  The 2022 World Cup hosts warmed up for the tournament with a victory over El Salvador and should be well prepared for the challenge of facing Panama.

Los Canaleros lost 3-0 to Mexico in a warm-up friendly but were in strong form prior to that. Panama reached the third round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying with a 2-1 aggregate win over Curacao in World Cup qualifying and were unbeaten in seven before the loss to Mexico with five wins and two draws. 

Panama also boast a strong defensive record with four clean sheets in their last eight games and this could be a fixture where the defences come out on top.  With little to separate these two teams, we feel a draw looks a strong option and a 0-0 correct score bet stands out.