Panama vs. Tunisia: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info for World Cup 2018

Neither Tunisia nor Panama can qualify for the knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, although both will be seeking to finish their tournament on a high on Thursday.

Both teams were humbled over the weekend, with England and Belgium dominating the group. The former stuck six past Panama on Sunday in a lopsided encounter, while Belgium were 5-2 winners over Tunisia on Saturday.

These two will be desperate to bounce back from those major setbacks and send their vibrant support home with a positive result. Here are the viewing details you need to see whether either can deliver, and a preview of how this Group G encounter is likely to play out.

Team News

Tunisia saw both Dylan Bronn and Syam Ben Youssef hobble out of their match against Belgium on Saturday, meaning they're both major doubts for manager Nabil Maaloul.

Panama's aggressive approach in their opening two games has cost them a couple of key players for this one, as both Armando Cooper and Michael Murillo will miss the match due to suspension.

Likely Tunisia XI: Farouk Ben Mustapha; Hamdi Nagguez, Syam Ben Youssef, Yassine Meriah, Ali Maaloul; Ferjani Sassi, Eilyes Skhiri, Naim Sliti; Fakhereedine Ben Youssef, Wahbi Khazri, 

Likely Panama XI: Jaime Penedo; Adolfo Machado, Roman Torres, Fidel Escobar, Felipe Baloy, Eric Davis;  Edgar Barcenas, Ricardo Avila, Anibal Godoy, Jose Luis Rodriguez; Blas Perez

Date: Thursday, June 28

Time: 7 p.m. (BST), 2 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: ITV (UK), FOX Sports 1 or Fox (U.S.)

Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), FOX Sports Go (U.S.)

Preview

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

It may not be the most important match at the World Cup for neutrals, but for supporters of Panama and Tunisia this fixture gives them a chance to see their team make history.

Panama, after all, are playing in their first ever World Cup and are still searching for their first point in the competition. Even though they were 6-0 down against England when they eventually grabbed their first World Cup goal, it was clear from the celebrations in the stand just how much it meant to them.

As noted by Spencer Owen, despite being on the end of a hammering, the supporters didn't stop throughout:

If Panama are going to get something from the game they will need to show much better discipline than they did against England.

Not only were the team lacking in any kind of organisation against the Three Lions, they were too aggressive defensively. As noted by football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor, that approach cost them in England's opening goal:

After defending well for long spells against England in their first game, Tunisia would've been disappointed with how they performed in their encounter with Belgium and will feel as though they have something to prove here.

At their best they can be dogged in defence and are capable of moments of class in attack, with skipper Khazri on hand to grab a goal and an assist against Belgium. As noted by football writer Jack Lang, it was clear he enjoyed his moment:

Of the two sides you'd have to make Tunisia favourites. Given they haven't won a World Cup match since 1978, there should be a tremendous determination among the players to get over the line here.

The same, of course, can be said for Panama. But based on what we've witnessed from them so far, they don't have the quality or the levels of concentration needed to take any point from their World Cup debut.

Prediction: Tunisia 2-1 Panama