Matchday 1 of the World Cup between Spain and Costa Rica in Group E will take place on November 23 at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha. Kick-off is at 19:00 (Moscow time). Spain vs. Costa Rica: prediction and betting odds, World Cup 2022 match statistics.
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Mohamed (UAE)
Matches – 17 (International matches, 2020–2022);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 63;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 24%.
Spain vs. Costa Rica: Predicted Lineups
Spain: Unai Simón, Jordi Alba, César Azpilicueta, Aymeric Laporte, Sergio Busquets, Rodri Hernández, Pedri, Gavi, Marco Asensio, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo.
Costa Rica: Keylor Navas, Bryan Oviedo, Francisco Calvo, Óscar Duarte, Carlos Martínez, Keysher Fuller, Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda, Jewison Bennette, Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras.
Spain
Spain qualified for the World Cup 2022 by topping their qualifying group. In the qualifiers, Spain won 6 out of 8 matches, with one draw and one loss. Notably, the team ended the qualifying stage strongly, winning their last four matches without conceding a goal.
In the previous World Cup, Spain struggled to advance from the group stage, securing only one victory against Iran (1-0). In the other group matches, they drew with Portugal (3-3) and Morocco (2-2). In the knockout stage, Spain was immediately eliminated by the host nation, Russia (1-1, 3-4 on penalties). Spain has not won in regular time in 6 of their last 8 World Cup matches (4 draws, 2 losses), but they have scored within the first 90 minutes in 11 of their last 13 World Cup games.
Star players such as Sergio Ramos, David de Gea, and Gerard Piqué will not participate in the upcoming World Cup.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica finished fourth in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the World Cup 2022. The team had a slow start, winning only one of their first seven qualifying matches (3 draws, 3 losses). However, an unbeaten run of seven subsequent games (6 wins, 1 draw) secured them fourth place and a spot in the intercontinental playoffs. In this stage, Costa Rica faced New Zealand and won 1-0, earning their ticket to the World Cup.
At the 2018 World Cup, Costa Rica did not secure any victories and finished last in their group. The team has not won in regular time in their last six World Cup matches (4 draws, 2 losses). Furthermore, Costa Rica failed to score in three of their last four World Cup games.
Spain vs. Costa Rica: Match Prediction
Spain suffered a rare qualifying defeat to Sweden, losing 1-2, marking their first World Cup qualifying loss since 1993. However, I would not consider this a failure for Spain. The team is undergoing a transition under Luis Enrique, with a generational change occurring.
Costa Rica showed resilience in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers, turning their campaign around. The team went unbeaten in their last eight qualifying matches, securing a place in the World Cup finals. Costa Rica faces a tough draw, with strong opponents like Germany and Japan in their group, making it challenging to secure three points in any of their three upcoming matches.
Spain will undoubtedly aim to win in their World Cup opener, but I doubt they will be able to thrash their opponent. I predict that Costa Rica will not lose by more than two goals. My prediction: "Costa Rica to win with a handicap (+2.5)"
