Panama will be without key midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla when it takes on Croatia in their World Cup Group L match, coach Thomas Christiansen said on the eve of Tuesday’s match, as both teams look to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.
The 27-year-old Carrasquilla is recovering from a muscle injury and was on the bench in the 0-1 defeat against Ghana last week. He made progress but felt unwell during training, Christiansen said.
“It’s a shame we don’t have (Carrasquilla) with us for such an important match against Croatia,” Christiansen told reporters. “But we have shown that the group is ready to compete.”
Both teams will try to make up ground in the standings after the defeats in the opening match.
If Panama loses to Croatia and England avoids defeat to Ghana, there will be no progress and little room for error.
“This is the most important one,” Christiansen said. «The group (squad) is very enthusiastic. They want to remove the thorn from Ghana, where ‘we earned much more.’
Panama missed an important point in a tough group as Ghana broke the deadlock in the 95th minute.
The Central Americans looked promising in attack, but ultimately had nothing to show for it and will have to avoid costly mistakes against 2018 runner-up Croatia.
Panama faces a big challenge against a Croatian top team with 40-year-old midfielder Luka Modric and the Manchester City duo of Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol.
The Balkan country also finished third at the 2022 tournament in Qatar and has plenty of experience in its ranks.
“They have top qualities on the wings, their physical condition is really good,” said Christiansen, who acknowledged that Croatia will want to show that the 2-4 defeat to England was a hiccup.
However, Panama believes it has the ability to surprise Croatia and secure its first World Cup victory.
“I’m ambitious, but I’m also realistic,” Christiansen said. “Because during this World Cup we have seen interesting results where people did not expect these results.
“So why can’t we be one of those teams that surprises in a positive way?”
Published on June 23, 2026
