World Cup 2022 Spain vs Costa Rica, Tips & Predictions

Spain start their World Cup 2022 campaign with a fixture against Costa Rica at the Al Thumama Stadium, Doha on November 23rd in Group E. Considered a dark horse to win the tournament outright, heavyweights Spain meet Central American outsiders Costa Rica in Qatar. La Roja are favourites to gather all three points according to the markets at 22bet and you can read our predictions for the game below. Make sure to unravel our 22bet review to find out more about the bookmaker’s odds and promotions.

Spain and Costa Rica have met on three previous occasions, though each encounter was a non-competitive fixture. Spain won two of those three meetings, the most recent of which was in 2017 (5-0).

• Spain won six of their eight World Cup qualification fixtures.
• Costa Rica were eliminated at the Group Stage of the last World Cup in 2018.
• Spain kept a clean sheet in 50% of their eight qualification contests.

Spain are renowned for their technical, passing game though they are also widely admired for their robust defending and La Roja managed to keep a clean sheet in 50% of their eight fixtures during their successful qualification campaign. The Spanish backline is notoriously difficult to breach and a Costa Rica frontline lacking star quality could struggle to manufacture chances against La Roja in Doha. With that considered, bettors are advised to back Spain to keep a clean sheet in the first of our World Cup betting predictions.

Spain to Keep a Clean Sheet – 4/7

Spain are one of international football’s most-possession-hungry teams and Luis Enique’s side tend to dominate the ball in most games they play. As a consequence, their corner count is routinely high and Spain won 5.62 corners 90 minutes during their qualification journey. Against Costa Rica on matchday one in Group E, Spain will expect to have the lion’s share of possession again and our second betting tip backs La Roja to rack up plenty of corners again.

Over 5.5 Spain Corners – TBC

When Spain last played Costa Rica in a friendly encounter back in 2017, they smashed five goals past a hapless Los Ticos side and though there has been a decent turnover of players in both camps since, the sizeable gap in class between the teams remains. Spain will be keen to hit the ground running in Qatar and La Roja should be able to play plenty of attacking football against Costa Rica. As a result, the goals could flow at the Al Thumama Stadium and we close our predictions with a recommendation to back over 2.5 goals to hit the net.

Over 2.5 Goals – 10/11

Spain

Spain lifted the World Cup for the first time in their history in 2010, though their performances in subsequent tournaments have been meek, to say the least. Elimination at the Group Stage (2014) and Round of 16 (2018) were far from good enough, though there is hope that Luis Enrique’s young team can make waves in Qatar following a run to the semi-finals at Euro 2020.

Key Players: Pau Torres, Sergio Busquets, Ferran Torres

Team News: Head Coach Luis Enrique used a huge number of players during Spain’s World Cup qualification and Nations League campaigns, though he did favour a 4-3-3 shape throughout. The main area of concern for La Roja is in attack, where Alvaro Morata, Pablo Sarabia and Marco Asensio are among those vying for places.

Predicted Lineups: Simon – Azpilicueta, Garcia, Torres, Alba – Busquets, Gavi, Pedri – Torres, Sarabia, Morata

Costa Rica

Costa Rica are competing at their third-straight World Cup and fourth tournament overall in 2022 and they booked their place in the competition through the playoffs after a narrow victory over New Zealand. With a squad littered with players from the country’s domestic league, Los Ticos lack the quality and top-level skills that most teams possess, though they are a match for anyone when it comes to spirit.

Key Players: Bryan Ruiz, Keylor Navas, Joel Campbell

Team News: Costa Rica are still reliant on experienced campaigners like Keylor Navas, Bryan Oviedo, Oscar Duarte, Celso Borges, Joel Campbell and captain Bryan Ruiz, and Head Coach Luis Fernando Suárez will hope to have all his veterans in tow in Qatar. Costa Rica like to play with a flat 4-4-2 formation and that system served them well during their qualification run.

Predicted Lineups: Navas – Fuller, Duarte, Calvo, Oviedo – Torres, Borges, Tejeda, Ruiz – Campbell, Contreras

With the betting odds stacked too heavily in Spain’s favour in the match result stakes, bettors are advised instead to stick to alternative markets where a bet on La Roja to keep a clean sheet against Costa Rica could be profitable. With Pau Torres a reliable performer at centre-half and a midfield anchored by the evergreen Sergio Busquets, Spain have a solid defensive spine and they managed to keep their opponents off the scoresheet in half of their eight qualification fixtures. Costa Rica are short on genuine match-winners in the final third and our prediction tips Spain to keep the toothless Central Americans at arm’s length in Doha.

Spain to Keep a Clean Sheet – 4/7