Cameroon vs Panama Prediction: A thrilling goal contest ahead

Cameroon and Panama battle it out at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup. The two teams will look to get a win ast they continue in their hope of performing well in the biggest football tournament. We give further match analysis below.

The Indomitable Lions finished first in Group D with 15 points after going 5-1-0 in their six matches (one loss and five wins), edging out Ivory Coast and setting up a playoff match against Algeria. After losing the first leg 1-0 in Douala on March 25 thanks to a goal from Islam Slimani, the second leg had to go into overtime thanks to a goal from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting four days later. Despite the Greens' hopes being dashed when Ahmed Touba scored what looked like the game-winner in the 118th minute, Lyon forward Karl Toko Ekambi restored parity in the fourth minute of stoppage time to send Cameroon on to Qatar. The team led by Rigobert Song had an exciting run in the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, losing in the semi-finals to Egypt but beating Burkina Faso in a penalty shootout to win the bronze medal. Cameroon trounced Burundi 1-0 in their 2023 AFCON qualifying opener on June 9. However, since then, they have struggled to grind results, winning only one of their three friendlies. This is because they have not been very dangerous going forward recently. In their last three matches, they have only one goal, scored by Djawal Kaiba in a 1-1 draw against Jamaica last week. As they try to go past the group stages for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 1990, Cameroon, who are making their sixth World Cup appearance, will head into Friday in need of a morale-boosting win.

Meanwhile, Panama failed to qualify for the World Cup playoffs after finishing fifth in the CONCACAF qualification standings. Thomas Christiansen's squad qualified for the playoffs with 21 points after a 6-5 record (six wins, three draws, and five losses). They finished four points behind Costa Rica in fourth place. Because of this, they had a successful run in the June CONCACAF Nations League, when they went undefeated and finished first in Group B with seven points. Despite their early season success, Los Canaleros appear to be running out of steam as they enter the weekend, having failed to win any of their last three friendlies (two draws and a loss) since September 27 when they defeated Bahrain 2-0. Since October 2020, Panama has only won once in 10 friendlies, even though they have played in one World Cup and lost five.

Both teams will be seeking to end winless streaks after a period of struggling to slog out results. On the other hand, Cameroon has the firepower to get the job done and will be confident in their chances of picking up a morale-boosting result. Our crystal ball tells us that the Indomitable Lions will prevail in an entertaining game at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.