- England have scored seven goals in their last two games, scoring four against Croatia.
- England have a talisman in Harry Kane, who has scored two goals in one World Cup game and three of England's last nine goals across all competitions.
- Panama have struggled to create clear chances, particularly in other games, where they lost 1-0 against Ghana in their tournament opener.
Lions of the Americas can be ruthless when pressing
England are odds-on favourites for this Group L 2026 FIFA World Cup clash at 1/4 with Panama 8/1 to spring a shock, but we are taking the Three Lions to secure the three points in New York/New Jersey, USA.
The Lions took their first steps to lifting the trophy in North America with a 4-2 win over Croatia in their opener, while Panama are sitting 3rd on zero points after their opening match.
Thomas Christiansen's Panama team were outplayed by Ghana on match day one, with the African nation's defence seemingly more solid and their forward line more of a threat in a 1-0 win. Panama do have some attacking talent and talent, especially Adalberto Carrasquilla, who has shown ball-winning and vertical distribution in the centre of the pitch, and José Fajardo, who is a key forward who can be a target up top and is always in the mix during transitions and set-pieces.
However, it is the structure and discipline of Christiansen's tactical plans that have ensured they are still in the group race heading into this game. The Panama team are a compact, disciplined unit that will set up in a mid-block, keep their lines compact and then look to hit on the counter or from set-pieces.
Thomas Tuchel is making the Lions tick
But this is a very different England team to the one that struggled to press the ball and create chances in the first half of last season. Thomas Tuchel's structure-first philosophy appears to have caught on and his team have been pressing well, building up from the back and looking more of a team since he got the job.
Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden are the two big creative threats down the flanks, while Kane is the talisman up front. England can overload the wings and switch the ball quickly, but they may also be exposed on the break by Panama.
Still, the difference in quality should be evident and England, who are on a three-game winning streak across all competitions, are scoring enough goals to suggest they should run out comfortable winners here.
