Mexico v Panama

Mexico vs Panama Preview

The final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played out between Mexico and surprise package, Panama, at the SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon with Mexico looking to lift the Gold Cup trophy for a ninth time while Panama will attempt to win the tournament for the very first time.

Mexico finished top of Group B courtesy of winning their opening two games in the group stage with victories over Honduras 4-0 followed by a 3-1 victory against Haiti and although Jaime Lozano's side suffered one of the shocks of the tournament when they were handed a 1-0 defeat by Qatar in their final group match, Mexico had already secured their passage through to the knockout rounds by then.

Mexico were therefore through to the quarter-finals where they met and duly dispatched Costa Rica with a 2-0 win and this was followed by a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Jamaica in the subsequent semi-final, so it's fair to say that Mexico are not only favourites to lift this year's Gold Cup but they will be very confident in doing so.

Panama finished top of Group C and they remained unbeaten throughout the group stage as they recorded back-to-back wins against Costa Rica 2-1 and Martinique 2-1 before gaining a decisive point in a 2-2 draw with El Salvador to secure their place in the knockout round.

In the quarter-finals, Panama came up against invitees to the Gold Cup, Qatar, who had previously recorded an upset by beating Mexico in the group stage, but Panama ran out easy 4-0 winners against the Middle East side to progress to the semi-final stage.

A tense 1-1 draw was played out against the joint-hosts and favourites, USA, before Panama sealed a memorable victory via the penalty shoot-out to send the States crashing out of this year's Gold Cup and in turn book their place in this upcoming final.

The bigger picture shows Panama have lost just three of their last 14 matches in all competitions and they will be quietly confident that they can finally lift the trophy on Sunday afternoon.

Mexico v Panama Verdict

Previous history is on Mexico's side though as they are unbeaten in their previous 13 meetings with Panama who are the only side remaining that are standing between a ninth Gold Cup for Mexico this Sunday.

Panama have finished runners-up on two previous occasions but have never won the Gold Cup, so they will be looking to create a bit of history in this tournament against Mexico.

Mexico's quality and guile in this tournament should see them over the line here though.

Therefore, our main bet will be Mexico win @ 1.65

Other side bets worth considering:

Over 2.5 goals @ 2.30

Correct score: Mexico 2-1 @ 9.00