-
Spain vs Costa Rica – World Cup: Team news, injury update, potential lineups & prediction.
On Wednesday afternoon, Spain will play Costa Rica in their Group E opener, and they will be aiming to get their World Cup campaign off to the best possible start.
Since the Johannesburg final, the 2010 World Cup champions have lost all of their knockout games. However, Luis Enrique’s youthful lineup enters the match with confidence after making it to the semifinals of the Nations League and the European Championships over the previous 18 months.
Costa Rica has risen 14 spots in the FIFA World Rankings since 2022, more than any other country competing in this year’s finals. They are still 24 rungs behind Spain, who is in seventh place.
-
Team News:
Spain:
Alejandro Balde was called up to replace Jose Gaya, who was forced to withdraw from the Spain team due to an injury, although there are no current fitness problems in the La Roja group.
Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres may end up starting with Alvaro Morata, the team’s top scorer with 27 goals, as Enrique must make important selections about his forward line.
All-Barcelona midfielders Gavi and Pedri will team up with Sergio Busquets, and Pau Torres will likely start alongside Aymeric Laporte in the middle of the defence.
Unai Simon will start in goal, while Spain, who should be in a 4-3-3 formation, is getting ready for Dani Carvajal and Jordi Alba to line up in the full-back positions.
RELATED:
- World Cup team news, possible lineups, & prediction for Belgium vs Canada
- World Cup 2022: England hints rivals on what to expect with merciless victory over Iran.
- Qatar releases dubious World Cup attendance estimates, despite hundreds of vacant seats.
Costa Rica:
As Costa Rica is not in possession of the ball, their 4-3-3 formation would change to a 4-5-1. Head coach Suarez is anticipated to line his team up in this manner.
Keylor Navas will undoubtedly start in goal, while Francisco Calvo and Oscar Duarte will likely play together in the heart of the defence, with Carlos Martinez and Bryan Oviedo manning the full-back positions.
With Anthony Contreras getting ready to lead the line, Celso Borges, who has made 155 appearances for the national team, should play off the right.
Joel Campbell, a former attacker for Arsenal, has scored 25 goals in 119 games for his country. The 30-year-old will also play in the final third of the field for La Sele.
-
Possible lineup:
Spain’s possible starting lineup:
Simon; Carvajal, Laporte, P Torres, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; F Torres, Morata, Fati
Costa Rica’s possible starting lineup:
Navas; C Martinez, Calvo, Duarte, Oviedo; Tejeda, Bennette, G Torres; Borges, Contreras, Campbell
-
Score prediction:
Spain has a dominant of possession, poking and probing without obtaining anything in return in the vast majority of its games against ostensibly lesser opposition under Enrique. La Roja qualified for the World Cup with the joint-fewest non-penalty goals of any European team that competed in the tournament (15).
Costa Rica has a history of giving up a lot of possession and shots, regardless of the competition. Even if Suarez’s team frequently limits the calibre of these efforts, they hardly pose a threat, scoring just 13 goals in 14 qualifiers.
Spain should start off their campaign with a win, however, it may be a struggle and they will need to watch out for Costa Rica’s quick transitions.
Prediction: Spain 2-1 Costa Rica