In the opening round of World Cup Group L, Ghana and Panama meet in Toronto. On paper, neither side is among the favorites to advance from the group, but this match is precisely their most realistic chance to pick up points — whoever wins will seize the initiative in the race to the Round of 32. However, expectations for goals in this game are likely to be low. The main reason is the depleted squads. Ghana have lost their midfield anchor Thomas Partey, the hub of the team’s transition between defense and attack and the only midfielder in the squad with the rhythm of a top European league. Without him, Ghana’s buildup and ball-winning ability in midfield will both drop a level. In warm-up matches, a 2-0 loss to Mexico and a 5-1 defeat to Austria already made the impact of Partey’s absence very clear. Up front, Jordan Ayew and Inaki Williams have pace, but without midfield support, it will be difficult for them to create sustained danger. Panama’s injury problems are even more severe. First-choice goalkeeper Mejía, midfield core Godoy, and Carrasquilla are all out, with one key piece missing in each line. In particular, the simultaneous absence of Godoy and Carrasquilla has nearly emptied Panama’s midfield — those two are the team’s main ball carriers and distributors, and without them, Panama will struggle to build effective attacks. In their warm-ups, they drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina and lost 4-2 to Brazil (scoring two goals against Brazil but conceding six in total), showing obvious defensive holes but also a lack of sustained attacking consistency. Both teams have lost their most important metronomes in midfield, which means the tempo of this match is likely to become messy — more mistakes, a lower passing accuracy, frequent transitions, but little quality. In that scenario, goals are more likely to come from individual quality or set pieces than from structured team play. The totals market also reflects this view. The opening line was 2.5 goals, but by match time it had generally dropped to 2/2.5, while the over’s price surged from the low range of 0.80-0.88 to an extremely high 1.00-1.09. A line drop combined with a sharp rise in price is a strong signal for the under. The cautious nature of opening-round World Cup group matches should not be overlooked either. Both teams know the strategic importance of this game, and the risk of throwing caution to the wind in an open exchange is far greater than the reward. Without their midfield leaders, both sides are more likely to choose a conservative approach — first stabilizing the defense, then looking for counterattacking chances. Taken together, the depleted squads, the line drop, and the cautious nature of the opening round all point in the same direction. This match is unlikely to produce many goals. Totals recommendation: Under 2/2.5 goals.