CONCACAF Gold Cup: Martinique vs Panama Betting Preview
First Place in Group C on Line
Martinique Pull off Upset
Martinique pulled off the first big upset of the Gold Cup by defeating El Salvador 2-1 in their opener. Meanwhile, Panama continued their excellent run of form vs. Costa Rica by downing the Ticos by the same scoreline. Now, the two sides meet on Friday with first place in Group C on the line. We’ll look closer at the match facts and odds in our Martinique vs. Panama betting preview.
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Martinique vs Panama
Date, time:
Location: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, USA
Head-to-Head
Panama and Martinique have met four times in the last decade, and Martinique are winless in those matches. In 2022, Martinique held Panama to a scoreless draw, the first time they picked up a point vs. Los Canaleros. Panama won the other three meetings by a combined scoreline of 9-0. On previous CONCACAF dates, Panama defeated Martinique in the 2013 and 2017 Gold Cups.
Martinique Make Headlines
- Last Match: 2-1 W vs. El Salvador
- Standings: 1-0, T-1st Group C
- Next Match: Jul. 4 vs. Costa Rica
Martinique lost all three matches at the 2021 Gold Cup and had to qualify through the preliminary rounds in 2023. Les Matinino defeated Saint Lucia 3-1 in the first preliminary round. Then, they picked up a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico to qualify for a fourth straight Gold Cup.
Brighton Labeau scored in both preliminary matches for Martinique and will remain a key player here. They came out firing in Martinique’s first group stage match, vs. El Salvador. Les Matinino scored twice in the first 20 minutes of the match and set the tone. Jonathan Rivierez picked up a red card in the 48th minute, which complicated things, but Martinique managed to hold on.
In the first big upset of the tournament, Martinique won 2-1 with goals from Patrick Burner and Kevin Fortune. Our Martinique vs. Panama betting preview notes Rivierez will miss Martinique’s next match vs. Panama. J.J. Michalet could replace the veteran defender at center back.
Panama Take Down Neighbors Costa Rica
- Last Match: 2-1 W vs. Costa Rica
- Standings: 1-0, T-1st Group C
- Next Match: Jul. 4 vs. El Salvador
Panama got their third win over bordering Costa Rica in just over a year. Jose Fajardo opened up the scoring for Los Canaleros in the 23rd minute. Midway through the second half, Yoel Barcenas scored his sixth international goal in his 74th appearance. Costa Rica got a late consolation goal, but Panama held on for a 2-1 win.
The Gold Cup betting odds now Gold Cup betting odds price Panama as favorites for their match vs. Martinique. They’re also now among the favorites to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Los Canaleros come in at +700 odds to win their first-ever Gold Cup. They’ve been runners-up in the competition twice but haven’t been in the final since 2013.
With their supposed toughest game out of the way, the path is clear for Panama to win Group C. Still, they’ll need to get results against one or both of Martinique and El Salvador. Expect Los Canaleros to focus on defense here, as they’ve only kept one clean sheet in their last 11 matches.
Match Analysis and Odds
Just over a year ago, Yoel Barcenas scored twice vs. Martinique as Panama cruised to a 5-0 win in the CONCACAF Nations League. Barcenas was also on the scoresheet in Panama’s opener and is one to watch here. Our Martinique vs. Panama betting preview notes that the odds imply a 71 percent chance of victory for Los Canaleros.
Panama come in at a -250 moneyline and as 1.5-goal favorites against the spread. However, Los Canaleros haven’t won by more than one goal since last September. Panama sit at +115 odds to cover, while Martinique +1.5 displays -145 odds.
The Caribbean overseas department of France also show +650 odds to get their first-ever win vs. Panama. A draw wouldn’t be a bad result for Martinique, and one is priced at +350 odds. Over 2.5 goals stand at -135 odds, but the last meeting did finish scoreless. The winner here will take first place in Group C for the time being.
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