Two previous World Cup winners — Spain and Germany — are the apparent favorites to advance, and their conference on Nov. 27 is the marquee match of the veryfirst round. Stingy Japan has a strong team and is the more mostlikely of the other 2 groups to upset the natural order if one of the giants slips up. As for aging Costa Rica, makingitthrough the veryfirst round will be an exceptionally high order.
Everything you requirement to understand about Costa Rica:
Coach: Luis Fernando Suárez
Highest surface: Quarterfinals (2014)
2018 surface: Round of 16
FOX Bet chances: +75000
Key gamers: Celso Borges, Joel Campbell, Keylor Navas
What we’re ecstatic to watch: If Costa Rica is to advance versus the chances, they’ll nearly definitely have to win their 2nd match in Qatar, versus Japan on Nov. 27.
What success appearance like: Getting out of a group this hard would be a victory.
Achilles heel: Age. There’s no getting around how long in the tooth the Ticos are. Borges is34 Navas is 35. Bryan Ruiz, Costa Rica’s all-time leading scorer, is37 Even Campbell is now on the incorrect side of 30.
X-Factor: Navas. The three-time UEFA Champions League winner hasn’t played a minute for Paris Saint-Germain this season after losing his beginning task. That suggests the finest gamer in Costa Rican history — he singlehandedly led the Ticos to the quarterfinals in 2014 — has something to show in Qatar.
Three things you requirement to understand about Costa Rica
Alexi Lalas provides us 3 things we requirement to understand about Costa Rica ahead of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Full lineup
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Esteban Alvarado, Patrick Sequeira.
Defenders: Francisco Calvo, Juan Pablo Vargas, Kendall Waston, Oscar Duarte, Daniel Chacon, Keysher Fuller, Carlos Martinez, Bryan Oviedo, Ronald Matarrita.
Midfielders: Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges, Youstin Salas, Roan Wilson, Gerson Torres, Douglas Lopez, Jewison Bennette, Alvaro Zamora, Anthony Hernandez, Brandon Aguilera, Bryan Ruiz.
Forwards: Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras, Johan Venegas.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports. Before signingupwith FOX Sports in 2021, he was a personnel author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he hasactually covered United States guys’s and females’s nationwide groups at several FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
Get more from FIFA World Cup 2022 Follow your favorites to get info about videogames, news and more