The Concacaf Gold Cup has thrown up some exciting matches so far with Jamaica impressing in their 4-1 beating of the previously unbeaten Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday night. Today, Friday, June 30, unbeaten Martinique and Panama will go head-to-head in an expected thriller, then two hours later, El Salvador and Costa Rica will face off in a potentially explosive affair.

Event # 1 – Gold Cup – Martinique vs Panama – 5:30 PM

First place in Group C will be up for the taking tonight when Martinique and Panama square off in the second round of Gold Cup matches at the Red Bull Arena. Both teams secured 2-1 wins in their opening games with Martinique beating El Salvador, while Panama got by a stubborn Costa Rica to set up this mouth-watering clash. Martinique’s win over El Salvador in their opening match ended a four-match winless run in the group stage of the Gold Cup for them and marked the first time they were beating the Salvadorians in this competition’s history. Indeed, that was also the first time since 2017 that Martinique had won their opening match of the Gold Cup, while victory over Panama would make it the first time Martinique would have won two matches in the group stage of the Gold Cup.

One of the dark horses to win the Gold Cup, Panama kicked off their Gold Cup campaign on the right foot, beating Costa Rica 2-1 which was their first opening match win in the group stage of the Gold Cup since 2019. Panama’s win ended a two-match losing and goalless run for them. With that said, not since 2019 have Panama lost to a Caribbean side, going down 2-0 in a Concacaf Nations League game against Bermuda. This promises to be an exciting encounter as Panama have most of their regular players for this tournament and looked sharp up front in their opening game with 16 shots, 10 of which were on target, while Martinique looked solid defensively having played a man short for over 40 minutes in their opening match.

Key Stats

Martinique – Martinique have failed to score against Panama in their last four meetings but have conceded nine goals during this run.

Panama – Panama recently defeated Martinique 5-0 at home in their Nations League encounter before drawing 0-0 back in Martinique. In Gold Cup action, Panama have won 1-0 and 3-0, respectively, when both sides met in group stage action in 2013 and 2017, respectively.

Both sides – Heading into this clash, Panama are unbeaten against Martinique in their four head-to-head clashes with 3 wins and 1 draw.

The betting Tip. Panama win.

Event # 2 – Gold Cup – El Salvador vs Costa Rica – 7:30 PM

Having each suffered losses in their opening game last weekend, the Gold Cup dreams could end for either El Salvador or Costa Rica tonight, when they face each other at the Red Bull Arena. With both losing their first game of the campaign, a defeat for either and a draw in the Martinique and Panama game would mark the end of the road in this year’s Gold Cup campaign for the losing side. The Salvadorians will enter this game having gone winless in their last eight matches in all competitions in 2023, conceding 11 goals and scoring just twice during this dismal run.

Following their exit from the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Costa Rica have continued their downward spiral, losing four of their last five matches played so far this year, including their opening game at this tournament for the first time since 2009. With that said, Costa Rica have won at least two of their group stage matches at the Gold Cup in each of the last three editions, while their defeat to Panama in their opening game, was only the second loss they were suffering at this stage of the Gold Cup since 2015. Indeed, the Costa Ricans have had the better of the Salvadorians in recent times, having gone unbeaten in 10 successivemeetings, a streak which dates back to 2009.

Key Stats

El Salvador – El Salvador are without a clean sheet in their last 14 matches in all competitions since February last year. Indeed, the Salvadorians have failed to score in four of their last six matches.

Costa Rica – Costa Rica are unbeaten in their last 10 meetings against El Salvador in all competitions, but they have managed to score only four goals in their five matches played since the conclusion of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Both sides – Both teams last met in a World Cup qualifier last year, with Costa Rica winning 2-1. Two of the last four meetings between Costa Rica and El Salvador have finished in goalless draws.

The betting Tip.Costa Rica win.