Henry Roldán
The Qatar 2022 World Cup got underway and next Wednesday it will be the turn of Group E to raise the curtain with the game between Spain vs Costa Rica.
The European team is one of the favorites to win the tournament after qualifying as group leader in the UEFA qualifiers, while the Central Americans are looking to make a splash after reaching Qatar in the play-offs.
Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the best preview of the group stage game between Spain vs Croatia.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Spain vs Costa Rica World Cup Qatar 2022 Group Stage Match on November 23, 2022
- Where: Al-Thumama Stadium – Al-Thumama, Qatar.
- When: Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 11:00 AM E.T.
- BetMGM Moneyline: Spain (-625) / Tie (+650) / Costa Rica (+1800).
- Unibet Asian Handicap: Spain (AH -1.0, -385) / Costa Rica (AH +1.0, +310).
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (-154), Under (+110).
- Both teams score: Yes (+190) / No (-278).
Odds provided by BetMGM and Unibet.
[the_ad_placement id=”sports-futbol”]
Spain Preview
Spain begins its participation in the Qatar 2022 World Cup as one of the favorite teams to fight for the title, despite the youth of its squad.
With a squad full of surprises by coach Luis Enrique, Spain goes into the match against Costa Rica as a strong favorite to come out on top and face the matches against Germany and Japan with more strength.
Faithful to the style of FC Barcelona, where he grew up, the Spanish coach has instilled in this talented group the need to retain the ball and find the spaces with constant touches and runs up the wings.
For this purpose, they have a lot of talent available, such as youngsters Gavi, Pedri, Pablo Sarabia and Ansu Fati, while up front Alvaro Morata is expected to be the team’s 9, although he is in doubt for the game against Costa Rica due to muscular discomfort.
Possible lineup (4-3-3): Unai Simón, Dani Carvajal, Eric García, Aymeric Laporte, Jordi Alba, Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Pablo Sarabia, Álvaro Morata, Ansu Fati.
Costa Rica Preview
Costa Rica is considered the weakest team of Group E after reaching this stage through a 1-0 playoff win over New Zealand. Coached by Colombian Luis Fernando Suárez, the Ticos will be playing in their third consecutive World Cup and will have to face a tough first match against Spain.
Since his arrival in the Central American team, Suárez has implemented a tactical system that relies on defensive order and counter-attacking, taking advantage of the speed of his wingers, an ideal style of play to face a European team that will surely take possession of the ball.
The star of this team is PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who starred in the CONCACAF qualifiers for his country, while Brayan Ruíz will be playing in his third World Cup, and although he will not be a starter, he is the leader and captain of this team.
Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Keylor Navas, Bryan Oviedo, Francisco Calvo, Óscar Duarte, Keysher Fuller, Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda; Gerson Torres, Jewison Bennette, Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras.
JefeBet Prediction
The first games of a World Cup are always complicated by the stress and importance it brings with it. And while this might be the case for a Spain team bound to do well, the talented group of youngsters will make things much easier.
Costa Rica is a very tough and organized team defensively, but without many arguments to bother Spain in attack, so this game will go one way through the Spanish ball control.
Prediction: Spain wins by a score of 2-0
The odds shown are courtesy of BetMGM and Unibet. Don’t miss out on our reviews!
