Colombia extended their winning streak to five matches with a narrow one-goal victory over Paraguay on Tuesday. The Cafeteros will look to preserve their unbeaten run this coming Saturday when they take on Costa Rica in a mouth-watering Group A clash at NRG Stadium.
Read on below for a complete preview of this blockbuster showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of USA vs. Paraguay and Argentina vs. Panama.
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Colombia will head to their showdown with Costa Rica with momentum on their side after recording a 2-1 win over Paraguay on Tuesday. Carlos Bacca and James Rodriguez each scored a goal for the Cafeteros who improved to a perfect 5-0-0 record this year. With the victory, Colombia booked a spot in the Copa America Centenario quarterfinals.
Key to Colombia’s strong start in this tournament has been their stingy defense. They have allowed just a single goal over their first two matches. They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Costa Rica side that has yet to find the back of the net in this year’s tournament. For Colombia to preserve their unblemished record against Costa Rica, they will need to continue their excellent play on the offensive end. They have outshot their opponents by a whopping 30-22 margin thus far.
Colombia will fancy their chances of beating Costa Rica as they have fared extremely well against them of late. The Colombians are 3-0 against the Costa Ricans in their head-to-head matchup. Colombia defeated Costa Rica, 1-0, in their last meeting in a friendly last year.
They are pegged at -255to score first in this match.
Costa Rica’s World Cup campaign is definitely hanging in the balance after losing to the United States, 4-0, on Tuesday. La Sele simply had no answer for Clint Dempsey who had a goal and two assists for the Star and Stripes. The result leaves the Costa Ricans at the bottom of Group A with just a point in two games.
All is not yet lost, though, for the reigning Central American champions as a resounding victory against Colombia this coming weekend will send them through to the knock-out rounds. For Costa Rica to grab the all-important victory, it’s crucial that they dominate possession once again. The Costa Ricans had 59.2 percent of the possession in their game against the USA, a vast improvement from their 49.6 percent output in their opening match against Paraguay.
Controlling possession is one thing but doing something with that possession is definitely another matter. The onus then is on Joel Campbell to step up his play against Colombia. The Arsenal striker has been a non-factor in this tournament thus far, failing to score in Costa Rica’s opening two matches. Campbell has scored 11 goals in 57 appearances for Los Ticos.
They are pegged at +285to score first in this match.
