Costa Rica vs Panama Odds & Prediction – CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying

• It is Costa Rica vs Panama in round 9 of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on Thursday, January 27 at 9:05pm ET
• Panama is currently in the playoff place while for Costa Rica this is a must-win game
• We preview the game, look at the odds, and offer some picks below

It is Costa Rica vs Panama on Matchday 9 of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on Thursday, January 27 at 9:05pm ET at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica. Panama is currently in fourth place in the qualifying table – the playoff spot – but is level on points with third-placed Mexico, while Costa Rica is in fifth place, five points behind the Panamanians.

All eight teams from CONCACAF are in play tonight with the other matches including Jamaica vs Mexico, Honduras vs Canada and USA vs El Salvador.

We list the World Cup odds for this qualifier, preview Costa Rica vs Panama, and offer below the best picks for this CONCACAF World Cup qualifying clash.

Costa Rica vs Panama Odds

Odds as of January 27 at BarStool Sportsbook

Costa Rica, despite being below Panama in the table, starts the game as +117 favorites, while the visitors are +240 for the away win. The bookies are anticipating a low-scoring game with ‘Over 2.5 goals‘ unusually in plus money at +160.

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Costa Rica’s Chances Hanging By a Thread

Costa Rica’s chances of reaching their sixth World Cup hang by a thread and defeat against Panama would massively diminish their chance of qualifying for Qatar. A win for the visitors would see an eight-point gap open up between Costa Rica and the fourth qualifying spot with just five rounds of games left to play.

Último entreno… todo listo para ganar o ganar 💪🏾

La cita es mañana a las 8:05 pm ⚽️#VibremosJuntos | #VamosSele🇨🇷 pic.twitter.com/ZfshaNQLTz

— FEDEFUTBOL Costa Rica (@fedefutbolcrc) January 26, 2022

Consecutive defeats for the Costa Ricans against the USA and Canada in rounds 6 and 7 had left them looking down and out but a win over Honduras last time out offered a lifeline. They left it late though, and with the game on the verge of petering out to a lame 1-1 draw,  Gerson Torres scored in the fifth minute of injury-time to claim all three points for Los Ticos.

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Home Comforts for Los Ticos

The key to this game may be the fact Costa Rica is at home where, in their three games, they have picked up seven of their nine points. Their only home defeat came against Mexico on Matchday 2 while the wins over El Salvador and Honduras are what have kept them in touch with the playoff places.

📸🇨🇷⚽️ pic.twitter.com/bojfZTmMSn

— FEDEFUTBOL Costa Rica (@fedefutbolcrc) January 21, 2022

Also vital for Los Ticos will be to finally hit the goal trail – something that has eluded them so far in this campaign. While they have been defensively sound – conceding just seven in their eight games – they have found life tough at the other end where they have scored just six goals.

Costa Rica vs Panama Head-to-Head Stats

A CONCACAF World Cup Place Awaits Panama

Panama’s quest for a place in Qatar has gone well and while they are currently in fourth place – the playoff spot – they are level on points with third-placed Mexico and only two points behind group leaders, Canada. Just two defeats from their eight games have set them up with a great opportunity to make their second World Cup finals in a row.

¡LISTOS PA' LA SALSA 🔥!#PanamáMayor 🇵🇦 cumplió con el reconocimiento de cancha del Estadio 🏟 Nacional de Costa Rica y ya está listo para su partido de mañana 🆚️ 🇨🇷.#TodosSomosPanamá 👊 pic.twitter.com/CwK2SW3Ol2

— FEPAFUT (@fepafut) January 27, 2022

While it had been a steady rather than a spectacular campaign for the Panamanians, two wins in their last two games have propelled them into the mix and they now know that four wins from their remaining six games will likely be enough for automatic qualification.

A Honduran Spectacular for Los Canaleros

Los Canaleros’ 3-2 away win in Honduras was achieved in spectacular fashion with their three goals coming in the last 13 minutes, while they also had to come from behind to beat El Salvador 2-1 at home when two quick-fire goals from Cecilio Waterman and Freddy Gondola sealed the points.

¡ENTRENA LA SUB2️⃣0️⃣!

La Selección Femenina Sub-2️⃣0️⃣, liderada por la DT Raiza Gutiérrez, continúa con su preparación de cara a sus compromisos internacionales🌎.

El equipo jugará dos encuentros amistosos ante Costa Rica🇨🇷, el próximo 1️⃣ y 3️⃣ de febrero.#TodasSomosPanamá🇵🇦 pic.twitter.com/lVKshNRFQ6

— FEPAFUT (@fepafut) January 26, 2022

The trip to Costa Rica will hold no fears for Panama who have collected six points away from home – a record second only to the Mexicans – which included a thrilling 3-0 win against a useful Jamaica team.

Costa Rica vs Panama Pick

In terms of head-to-heads, Panama has won three of the last four meetings between these two, so will be confident of getting the win that will take them a step closer to Qatar. The teams drew 0-0 back in September in Panama.

There is a lot of pressure on the Costa Ricans, in what for them is a must-win game. The onus, therefore, will be on them to play on the front foot but, as a result, they may get picked off on the break. Therefore, for me, the value is with the +240 on offer for the away win.

Picks: Panama to win (+240)