The Panamanian team will embark on its path to the Qatar 2022 World Cup this Thursday with a duel against Barbados at the Félix Sánchez stadium in the capital of the Dominican Republic.
The Panamanians will play at home against an almost unknown Caribbean team far from their homeland.
The Panamanian team coach, the Spaniard Thomas Christiansen, before the trip to Dominican territory, downplayed the fact because, he said, Panama was also going to play without an audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the “affection and affection” of the supporters of the selection will go as far as you play.
“One thing is the heat of the country and another is playing at Rommel, the heat, the affection, the affection that the Panamanian has for his team, we will feel the same. Unfortunately we could not have fans if we had played at Rommel, in that sense we wouldn’t have had it that close either,” he said.
Christiansen showed his desire to “play good games and qualify for the octagonal” on a path that will be “long and difficult.”
Against the Barbadians, the Spanish-Danish strategist trusts that his team is the one that commands the game because he starts as a clear favorite and pointed out that for this reason his players should be the “clear dominators.”
The match between Panama and Barbados is unprecedented and the same will happen when the Panamanians face Anguilla, another rival of group D.
Christiansen stressed that his team will go to the field “without fear” of the rival, although with “respect”, because the 2-0 loss to Bermuda in 2019 in the Concacaf Nations League is still fresh in his memory.
The Spanish coach has all the high-caliber weapons of Panamanian football within the group of 23 players, in which a mixture of youth and experience is perceived for a squad whose average age is 27 years.
The group includes Eric Davis, Harold Cummings, Michael Murillo, Adolfo Machado, Aníbal Godoy, José Luis Rodríguez, Gabriel Torres and Édgar Bárcenas, all World Cup players in Russia 2018.
Panama faces the match after a scoreless draw against Serbia, while Barbados, coached by former Trinidad and Tobago national team player Russell Latapy, beat Turks and Caicos Islands 2-0 in their last friendly match, in a duel played precisely in the Dominican Republic.
Those from Latapy concentrated on Dominican lands two weeks ago and this Tuesday, like the Panamanians, they recognized the terrain of the Félix Sánchez stadium, where they should start their path towards the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Probable lineups:
Panama: Orlando Mosquera; Michael Amir Murillo, Harold Cummings, Andrés Andradre, Eric Davis; Abdiel Ayarza, Anibal Godoy, José Luis Rodríguez, Edgar Yoel Bárcenas, José Fajardo and Gabriel Torres.
Barbados: Kishmar Primus; Rashad Smith, Akeem Hill, Najee Holder, Mario Williams, Krystian Pearce; Raheim Sargeant, Roshon Gittens, Omani Leacock; Rashad Jules y Thierry Gale.
Referee: Nima Saghafi (United States)
Stadium: Félix Sánchez de Santo Domingo.