Spain vs Costa Rica - 23.11 - Prediction of the Match
Each time the World Cup comes around, Spain is always labelled as one of the favourites for the tournament, undoubtedly due to the technical ability of their squad. Although they won the tournament in 2010, however, they haven’t shown many signs of winning the World Cup since, despite having some very talented players. At this World Cup, manager Luis Enrique has selected a youthful squad to try and go one better than their Round of 16 disappointment in 2018, although it remains to be seen how they will perform on the biggest stage.
Costa Rica is at their third consecutive World Cup, although they needed a play-off game against New Zealand in order to qualify. They couldn’t make it past the Group Stage in the 2018 World Cup, where they finish bottom of a group containing Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia. Can they improve upon that here?
Below you can find some football predictions and team facts that will be useful for World Cup predictions.
Spain
Spain is an unknown quantity coming into this tournament and has largely gone under the radar when fans have gone about labelling their favourites.
On the one hand, this is to be expected. This is arguably the least star-studded Spain team we’ve seen in 15 years, with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Ramos and Pique all gone.
On the other, it may help some of the youngsters to be out of the spotlight as much as possible during the early stages of the tournament. Make no mistake, this is a talented squad.
Facts
● FIFA Ranking: 7
● Won six of their eight qualifying games.
Costa Rica
Before we start ruling out Costa Rica just yet, we must first rewind to the 2014 World Cup, where they topped a group containing Italy, England and Uruguay.
It was the country’s best performance at a World Cup when they went on to reach the Quarter Finals before losing to the Netherlands on penalties.
While their outing in 2018 didn’t go as well, you have to consider their ability to spring a surprise.
Facts
● FIFA Ranking: 31
● Managed only 14 goals in their 15 qualifying games
Statistics on Spain vs Costa Games
Teams have played against each other only thrice in history. In two of the games, Spain won 5-0, and in the other one, the game between the two teams ended in a draw.