England should handle this one without much trouble. Panama sit bottom of Group L with zero points after two straight defeats and they've already been knocked out of the World Cup. A win here puts England top and into the knockout stage, but the gap in quality looks massive on paper.
Recent form tells its own story. Panama lost 0-1 to Croatia and then 0-1 to Ghana in their opening group games. Their only bright spot came in a friendly draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, yet they've conceded heavily in other warm-ups. England drew 0-0 with Ghana but bounced back with a 4-2 win over Croatia and clean sheets against Costa Rica and New Zealand before that.
The last time these sides met was back in 2018 when England ran out 6-1 winners. Nothing since then suggests Panama have closed that gulf. At MetLife Stadium the Three Lions will line up in a 4-3-3 with Jordan Pickford behind Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guéhi and Tino Livramento. Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo and Jude Bellingham sit in midfield while Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford lead the attack.
Panama are expected to go with a 5-4-1 featuring Luis Mejía in goal and a back five of Michael Amir Murillo, César Blackman, Fidel Escobar, Andrés Andrade and José Córdoba. Aníbal Godoy captains the midfield alongside Yoel Bárcenas, Adalberto Carrasquilla and Ismael Díaz, with José Fajardo up top.
England carry a couple of fitness doubts. Declan Rice has a calf or hamstring issue that needs checking, Reece James is managing a hamstring and Bukayo Saka is working through Achilles management. Even so, the squad depth looks strong enough to cope. Panama have no reported injury concerns.
Harry Kane remains the man to watch for goals while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford have both shown sharp form in attack. For Panama, Godoy and Fajardo are the ones who can create problems if England switch off. Still, the reality is Panama need a miracle result they haven't shown they can produce.
Recommended Bets
England win @1.12 — Panama are already eliminated with zero points from two games while England sit top with four points and can seal qualification here.
England -2.5 Asian handicap @1.85 — The 2018 meeting ended 6-1 and England's attack has looked potent in recent matches against similar opposition.
Harry Kane anytime goalscorer @1.75 — Kane is the focal point of England's attack and has been highlighted as the main goal threat in this fixture.
Odds tend to shorten closer to kickoff — lock in value now.
