Looking over the two matches on the schedule for the CONCACAF W Gold Cup for Saturday, the narratives are quite divergent. One matchup pairs a couple of national teams that haven’t faced each other in the past 14 years while the other is a renewal of a rivalry.
Sportsbooks have picked slight favorites in both matches with identical 2.5-goal totals in both affairs. If they are right on both counts, there are some opportunities for bettors to make a profit on these matches.
Panama vs. Puerto Rico details, handicapping
At least since March 2010, Panama and Puerto Rico’s national teams have not played each other. On Matchday 1 in this group, the Puerto Ricans turned in a far more respectable performance while losing than the Panamanians did.
- Kickoff — 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
- Venue — Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California, United States
- Broadcast — ESPN in both Panama and Puerto Rico, OneSoccer in Canada (English and French language), CBS or Paramount+ (English-language), ESPN (Spanish language) in the United States
- Previous matches: Panama 0-6 vs. Colombia, Puerto Rico 0-1 vs. Brazil
Neither of these teams came into the W Gold Cup with a ton of momentum. Both teams had registered three or fewer wins in their previous 10 matches. Panama had lost six of those 10 while Puerto Rico dropped three.
One of the reasons why Panama is a slight favorite on Saturday is that the Puerto Ricans haven’t scored in any of their last four matches. Conversely, the Panamanians have netted 14 goals in their past 10 matches. For this match, then the question bettors need to answer is whether Puerto Rico can maintain its stalwart defense long enough to find a way to break that scoreless streak.
Either way, the under on the goal total looks appealing given both teams’ recent forms.
Brazil vs. Colombia details, handicapping
The Brazilians and Colombians last faced each other in July of 2022, with Brazil taking that match 1-0. The Brazilians also have the stronger recent form. At the same time, Colombia had a much more pronounced debut in this tournament.
- Kickoff — 10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
- Venue — Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California, United States
- Broadcast — ESPN in both Brazil and Colombia, OneSoccer in Canada (English and French language), CBS or Paramount+ (English-language), ESPN (Spanish language) in the United States
- Previous matches: Colombia 6-0 vs. Panama, Brazil 1-0 vs. Puerto Rico
Brazil has now won six of its last 10 matches, also notching a draw in that stretch. Over that period, the Brazilians have a +10 goal differential. Colombia has won half of its past 10 matches heading into Saturday with a goal differential of +6.
Bettors should note that prior to Matchday 1 against Panama, the Colombians had a goal differential of zero over the previous 10 matches. Additionally, in seven of those 10 matches, Colombia managed a goal at most.
Bettors will need to decide then whether Colombia will be able to replicate any of that explosion against Panama or if the Panamanians will regress to their mean Saturday. That determination will also affect how bettors act on the goal total for this match, too.
