Costa Rica and Germany face off on Thursday in a World Cup Group E soccer showdown at Al Bayt Stadium.
Costa Rica sits in third place in the group, having picked up three points. Costa Rica knows to make the knockout round, all they need is a win here. In the first World Cup game, Costa Rica’s defense gave up seven goals and that led to the defeat. In the last game against Japan, though, they bounced back and secured a 1-0 victory. Keysher Fuller scored in the 81st minute and that led to the victory. Costa Rica had 43 percent of the possession and one shot on goal, but that one goal went in the back of the net. Francisco Calvo picked up his second yellow card in the last game, and he will be suspended for this game. Juan Pablo Vargas may move into the starting lineup here to try to improve the back line.
On the other side of this matchup is Germany, who sits in 4th place in the group having picked up one point. To open up the World Cup, Germany played in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Japan. In the last game against Spain, Germany played to a 1-1 draw. Niclas Fullkrug scored in the 83rd minute to secure a draw. Germany had only 35 percent of the possession and four shots on target. Leroy Sané came off the bench in the last game, and it seems he’s healthy enough to have an impact again in this game. Leon Goretzka is someone who could be forced out of the starting lineup for this game.
Costa Rica isn’t a great offensive team and that is going to let them down here. Costa Rica can’t keep up in a high-scoring game, and they are going to have some defensive breakdowns in this game. Look for Germany to score three or four goals here, and that will be enough to get the job done. Back Germany -2.5 to cash here.