A lot of people still bring up the image of Ghana at full strength, but in reality the spine of this team is almost collapsing. The midfield core can’t play, the attacking centerpiece is injured, and both starting center-backs are also out. In other words, the midfield is gone, the attack has gone silent, and the back line has been patched together on the fly. New coach Queiroz has always been known for being conservative, and he specializes in parking the bus and playing for a draw. With a squad in such a damaged state, his first priority in the opening match will definitely be not to concede, and he won’t open up and attack at all. They’ve scored only three goals in their last six matches, which tells you everything about their attacking level. They can only rely on wing play, while Panama’s back five will be packed in tightly. Scoring will already be difficult, let alone scoring multiple goals.
Panama needs even less explanation. They conceded just five goals in ten World Cup qualifying matches, so their defensive system is deeply ingrained. Against a depleted Ghana side like this, they will keep their stance very low. A draw would be good enough, and nicking one goal would be a huge bonus. They will not come out and trade attacks with you. Both sides lean toward attack without much certainty and put defense first, so this match is bound to be low on tempo and short on chances. The most likely scores are 0-0, 1-0, or 1-1 — at most two goals.
Of course, football is never 100 percent predictable, but under normal circumstances, going over 2.25 total goals is genuinely quite difficult. This angle still has a decent margin for error and is well worth close attention.