Honduras and Costa Rica face off on Thursday in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier at Olímpico Metropolitano. The last time these two teams faced off was in June of 2021 for third place in the CONCACAF Nations League. Honduras was able to win that game on penalties after they played to a 2-2 draw.
Honduras currently sits in sixth place in the standings having picked up two points. Honduras played to a couple of draws before they struggled in the last game against the United States. They actually jumped out to the lead in that game with a goal by Brayan Moya in the 27th minute, but in the second half, the defense really struggled. They gave up four straight goals, and that led to the three-goal defeat. So far during these qualifiers, they have scored only two goals total, and that puts even more pressure on the defense to be good.
On the other side of this matchup is Costa Rica who sits in 5th place in the standings having picked up two points. Costa Rica has played to draws against Panama and Jamaica and lost to Mexico. In the last game, Costa Rica had a goal in the third minute by Jimmy Marin but in the 47th minute they let one up, and that led to a 1-1 draw. They only allowed two shots on goal, and actually played well, but still could only pick up one point out of the game. So far during the qualifying, they have scored only one goal, while the defense has given up two goals.
Neither of these two teams have great offenses, and Costa Rica might have the best defense of any of the teams in these qualifiers. Look for both teams to struggle to score and the under will cash. I also am throwing a few dollars on an exact score of 0-0.