The difference in quality between these two outfits is just massive and we expect a one-sided contest from the first whistle on the day.
Belgium scored an impressive 43-goal tally in ten qualifying affairs winning nine of them.
Belgium won three and drew one of last four friendlies and they’ll come up against a side which failed to score more than once in last five internationals.
Panama are enjoying their maiden appearance at the biggest stage.
Roberto Martinez will be under a massive pressure in Russia as he has the honour of leading the golden generation of Belgian players. The Red Devils enter the competition as one of the shadow favourites to go all the way this summer, but can the star-studded line-up live up to the ambitions?
The opening match will not produce the answer to that given the European hopefuls are to take on the likes of Panama. Los Canaleros are actually the only debutants in this edition of the tournament having shockingly secured their tickets for Russia on the expense of United States who only came fifth at the end of the final round in the CONCACAF qualifying zone.
Panama managed a huge comeback to secure the 2-1 victory over Costa Rica thanks to the 87th-minute match winner on the final day. United States lost their away fixture to Trinidad & Tobago with the same result even though their counterparts had already lost all hopes of qualifying.
Panama have played eight friendly outings ever since, winning only two in the process. The lack of the attacking potential is obvious and one should not be shocked to learn that they’ve only scored once in last five internationals. The main strength for Los Canaleros is their head coach Hernan Gomez who has the World Cup experience having led Colombia and Ecuador at the big stage competitions back in 1998 and 2002.
Belgium definitely do not share similar woes with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens in their ranks. They have the world-class quality all over the place, starting from Thibaut Courtois to Romelu Lukaku. They boasted the best attacking record in the European Qualification zone having bagged as many as 43 goals in 10 matches.
Manchester United’s star Romelu Lukaku notched 11 of 43, while Chelsea’s Eden Hazard contributed with six goals and five assists along the way.
The second match of the Group G presents England against Tunisia, an hour after the conclusion of this game.
Belgium Team News
Martinez will likely keep Man City center-back Vincent Kompany on the bench in the opener given Panama’s attacking line will not be a major test here.
Michy Batshuayi also has fitness woes and will likely not be used on the occasion.
Laurent Ciman of Los Angeles FC was used as the third center back in the 3-0 win over Egypt in the final WC warm-up.
Martinez fancies the 3-4-2-1 formation with Lukaku as the sole striker with Hazard and Mertens behind him and that’s exactly what we expect to see in team’s opener in Russia.
Belgium Predicted Starting Eleven (3-4-2-1)
Courtois – Alderweireld, Boyata/Ciman, Vertonghen – Meunier, Carrasco, Witsel, De Bruyne – Mertens, Eden Hazard – Lukaku.
Panama Team News
Panama only have four Europe-based players in their ranks
The main problem for Hernan Gomez is the physical condition of the vital center back Roman Torres.
He will likely feature the match against the Red Devils due to the lack of adequate replacements.
Gomez has to make the decision of whether he will be using Blas Perez (37-year-old) or Gabriel Torres as the lone striker.
Panama Predicted Starting Eleven (5-4-1)
Penedo – Roman Torres, Escobar, Machado, Ovalle, Murillo – Gomez, Quintero, Barcenas, Godoy – Gabriel Torres.
Belgium vs Panama Head-to-head
This will only be the first ever head to head encounter between Belgium and Panama.
Belgium vs Panama Predictions
The Belgian attacking line is full of talent which was never exploited to the max under Marc Wilmots who led the team to underwhelming campaigns four years ago in Brazil and two years later at EURO in France. Panama just can’t be a match to such squad and the visitors could be even happy with the loss by less than four goals difference here given the realistic gulf in quality between the two.
Los Canaleros revealed their defensive holes in a demolishing 6-0 defeat to Switzerland in March, while they failed to find the back of the net in back-to-back clashes with European WC absentees Northern Ireland and Norway in recent warm-ups. Belgium to keep a clean sheet should thus be a banker bet at the odds of 1.36, but we will try and grab the highest value chasing bets with higher odds.
Belgium to win by three or more goals is definitely such, a must-take at 2.45. We expect Martinez’s side to push strong from the get-go and bag at least two goals in the opening 45 minutes. You can have Belgium to have at least a two-goal cushion on the break at the sky-high 3.30 odds.
Predicted Full-Time Result is a clean sheet victory for Belgium in what could be a disastrous defeat for Panama.
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