World Cup 2022 Spain vs Costa Rica, Tips and Predictions

Spain were victorious in 2010, however, they haven’t been as formidable in the last few years and they begin their Group E campaign at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha. They take on Costa Rica who managed to finish eighth back in 2014 and are easily capable of surprise. They are always tend to be priced as outsiders in the World Cup betting odds, however, they should not be underestimated.

Luis Enrique is back in the hot-seat and he prefers to pick players who fit into his system. As a result, performances have been mixed. Nevertheless, they managed to win each of their last four qualifying matches and kept a clean sheet in every single one of those games. They will be looking to bounce back from a hugely underwhelming and chaotic round of 16 exit in Russia.

Costa Rica were one of the surprise packages at the 2014 World Cup and despite crashing out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage, they managed to avoid defeat throughout. They kept two clean sheets during the group stage and also kept the Netherlands off the scoresheet when they met in the final eight. They were also defensively savvy during the qualification period and managed to finish with a convincing 2-0 victory over the USA.

10Bet have priced Spain up as the favourites and given their squad depth and calibre of coach, it is unsurprising to see them at 1/4. It’s 21/5 with 888Sport for Costa Rica to take a share of the spoils.

• Although these two sides have faced one another three times, they are yet to meet in a competitive clash. Their last meeting came in 2017 with Spain winning comprehensively (5-0).
• Spain –.Spain won just one of their four matches at the 2018 World Cup, however, they exited the tournament unbeaten. During qualifying, they conceded just five times, although they average less than two goals per game overall.
• Costa Rica – Costa Rica scored just four times en-route to an eighth place finish at the 2014 World Cup and they also failed to net in their opening two group games in Russia. During their intercontinental play-off, they took the lead after 3 minutes and held on for the remaining 87 minutes. They are unlikely to collapse easily in Qatar.

Spain will be expected to breeze past Costa Rica, however, they may have to be patient in order to find the breakthrough. Although this is likely to be tougher, Costa Rica have proven adept at frustrating the opposition and may opt to keep things tight once again.

UNDER 2.5 GOALS

Although Costa Rica lost their opening two group at Russia 2018, they were only beaten 2-0 by Brazil and were unlucky not to have taken a point off Serbia. They will keep it close and Spain will be happy enough with a narrow victory.

SPAIN TO WIN BY A 1 GOAL MARGIN

As we’ve explained, Costa Rica will not go down without a fight. The players are extremely proud to represent their country at this major event and although they do not possess the same level of quality as their counterparts, they will play with passion throughout the tournament. They will not stop battling for 90 minutes, although they may just fall short.

COSTA RICA +2 HANDICAP

Spain

Spain’s recent form at major tournaments has been a little disappointing and they will be desperate to make amends for a poor performance in Russia. Luis Enrique’s side certainly appear to be a little more settled this time around and should progress to the latter stages of the event.

Key Players: Alvaro Morata, Rodri

Team News: Spain are in relatively healthy condition coming into this opening fixture with Eric Garcia having fully recovered from injury. Dani Olmo should also make the cut whereas Marcos Llorente should feature here in some capacity.

Predicted Lineups: Unai Simon, Dani Carvajal, Eric Garcia, Pau Torres, Cezar Azpilecueta, Carlos Soler, Sergio Busquets, Rodri, Koke, Dani Olmo, Alvaro Morata.

Costa Rica

Having qualified for four of the last five tournaments, Costa Rica have established themselves as regular participants at the World Cup. Their last eight World Cup matches have accumulatively contained just 14 goals.

Key Players: Jewison Bennette, Joel Campbell

Team News: Keylor Navas has been struggling with a back injury, however, he has been selected in the squad and is likely to be first choice or this fixture. Costa Rica have very few injury worries ahead of this tough opener.

Predicted Lineups: Keylor Navas, Bryan Oviedo, Francisco Calvo, Oscar Duarte, Keysher Fuller, Celso Borges, Gerson Torres, Jewison Bennette, Yeltsin Tejeda, Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras.

Although Spain rely less on possession these days, they do have the tendency to be a little ponderous at major tournaments. Costa Rica will work hard to keep them at arm’s length and this may be a low-scoring affair which could be settled by a single goal.

Bet on Under 2.5 Goals