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The clash between Panama and Tunisia will be played at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk on June 28th. Both Canal Men and Eagles of Carthage are without points and are desperate to at least split the points here as they are the only teams alongside Poland and Egypt that didn’t record a single one so far at the tournament.
Panama vs. Tunisia
Three-Way: 1: Panama +350; X: +275 Draw; 2: Tunisia -118 (Odds provided by Delaware Park Sportsbook)
Spread +0.5: Panama +110; Tunisia -122
Total 2.5 goals: Over -125; Under +100
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The Canal Men suffered a huge 6-1 loss to England as the Three Lions destroyed them in the opening 45 minutes. John Stones opened up the scoring in the 8th minute; Harry Kane doubled the lead in the 22nd, while Jesse Lingard produced the prettiest moment of the match with a fantastic shot from outside the box in the 36th to make it 3-0 and help the punters who backed over 2.5 goals at -125.
Stones scored another one in the 40th minute, while Harry Kane was cool enough to convert his second penalty of the tilt in the final seconds of the opening half for a huge 5-0 lead. Tottenham’s striker was very lucky in the 62nd minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot deflected of his back heel and changed the direction, so Panama’s goalkeeper Jaime Penedo couldn’t make a save and it was 6-0 for the Three Lions.
The Canal Men wanted to score their first goal at the World Cup and managed to do it as the captain Felipe Baloy reacted excellently to a cross from the free-kick to put a ball behind Jordan Pickford’s back to make the final score, 6-1, which was a great moment for the punters who bet on BTTS at +190.
On the other hand, Tunisia was 2-0 down already in the 16th minute, as Eden Hazard from the penalty spot and Romelu Lukaku scored, but the Eagles of Carthage clawed one back through Dylan Bronnin the 18th minute and completed the bet on BTTS at +110, and also over 2.5 goals at -125. Lukaku scored his second of the game in the last play in the opening half to make it 3-1.
Hazard added his second goal of the match in the 51st minute, and we had to wait for the very finish of the clash when Michy Batshuayi scored after missing a few great chances since his introduction in the 68th minute. Tunisia’s best player and captain Khazri sent the tie to over 6.5 goals at +2500 with a strike in the 93rd minute to set the final score, 5-2.
Players to watch
Blas Perez is trying to become Panama’s all-time leading scorer as he is currently tied with Luis Tejada, and although he didn’t have the luck to find the net in the previous two games, this is the matchup where he should have a chance or two to score that goal.
Wahbi Khazri is the most valuable player for Tunisia as he recorded a goal and an assist so far at the World Cup, and the No. 10 is a driving force of his team, which was evident in the last two matches. He is a set-piece taker and the best creator in the squad, so I expect him to have an excellent display here.
Probable Lineups:
Panama: Penedo; Murillo, Torres, Escobar, Davis; Barcenas, Gomez, Godoy, Rodriguez, Avila; Perez.
Tunisia: Ben Mustapha; Nagguez, Benalouane, Meriah, Maaloul; Khaoui, Skhiri, Sassi; Ben Youssef, Khazri, Badri.
Betting Prediction
Tunisia is a favorite at -118 for a reason as they have a better team and better individuals, but after suffering a couple of injuries against Belgium, their defense could be leaky on this one, so I am backing Panama to score at least one goal. I don’t think the rivals will focus on defense and will try to score as many goals as they can instead, so I am backing over 2.5 goals here.
The Pick: Over 2.5 goals (-125)