Costa Rica vs. Spain
November 23, 2022 11:00 am EDT
The Line: Spain -600 / Costa Rica +1600 // Total: 2.5
(Get latest betting odds)
Spain and Costa Rica face off on Wednesday to kick off their World Cup in a Group E soccer showdown at Al Thumama Stadium.
Since winning the World Cup in 2010, Spain hasn’t been all that impressive during the World Cup, and that means there is extra pressure on this team to find success here. Spain has won two games in a row, and they have a ton of confidence that this can be the year they win another World Cup. Last Thursday, Spain faced off against Jordan, and they were able to secure a 3-1 victory. Ansu Fati opened up the scoring in the 13th minute, and they added two more goals in the second half. Spain had 74 percent of the possession and six shots on target. Jose Gaya is dealing with an injury and has been forced to pull out of the World Cup. Alvaro Morata has scored 27 goals in his international career, and he’s expected to get the start in this game.
On the other side of this matchup is Costa Rica, who are usually competitive in the World Cup, but in Russia they were bounced out in the group stage. This is a team that has a ton of confidence and in their last 13 game they have only one loss. On November 9th, Costa Rica faced off against Nigeria, and they were able to secure a 2-0 victory. Oscar Durate scored in the 7th minute, and Kendall Watson added another goal in the 73rd minute. Costa Rica is pretty healthy heading into this game, and they believe they can pick up three points here. Keylor Navas is going to start in goal, and they are going to need a big game from him here. Joel Cambell is expected to start as a striker.
This game is really a true toss-up on who will win, and I’m not comfortable backing either side. Spain’s defense has been strong heading into this game, and they will continue that here. Costa Rica also has a strong defense, and they are going to take a defensive shape to try to protect from Spain’s strong offense. This game is only going to have a goal or two scored, and the under is going to cash. Back the under.
