World Cup Preview -- Does Costa Rica Have Any More Magic Left?

  • In Charles Jay
  • Sat, Jun 16th, 2018 5:03:36 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


Costa Rica hopes to have another big run in the World Cup, and they'll get it started with a Group E match against Serbia.


In 2014, the Costa Rican national football squad thrilled a nation - and the world - as the "little team that could." Now they are trying to do a little something for an encore as they embark on another World Cup adventure. In the opening game on Sunday they will take on Serbia in Group E action that is set to begin at 8 AM ET in Samara. Fox and Telemundo will provide television coverage, and BetAnySports customers will have the opportunity to place wagers on many things, including creative props and Live Betting Ultra, which enables real-time action.

What are we to expect from Costa Rica this time around? Was the magical run to the quarter-finals four years ago a fluke? Or do they have something left over to show us all? Well, perhaps it's neither of those, but not only are the Ticos in tough, with Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland also in the group, they aren't stocked as well as they were last time.

Sure, they have Keylor Navas, who is a capable goalkeeper even by the standards of this level of competition. That is evident from his exploits in between the irons for Real Madrid, which won three Champions League titles with him. Will Costa Rica go as far as he can take them? If they get lucky, that will be the case.

But you have to remember that they have some key performers who are now four years older, and that includes Bryan Ruiz, the captain of the squad. The real curiosity is Joel Campbell, who was a hero last time around but has not yet found a comfortable time of it yet with Arsenal. he hopes that might change with a new manager coming on board, but he has a chance to impress people on the big stage now. In recent friendlies he has looked right at home with his countrymen, and if this continues he'll help the cause immeasurably.

Costa Rica has undergone a change in leadership, with Oscar Ramirez taking the reins in place of Jorge Luis Pinto. Their results have been mixed, as they lost to the United States - which did not qualify for the World Cup - in the CONCACAF Gold Cup last year, but avenged that and then some in Cup qualifying.

In the World Cup betting odds that have been posted on this match by the folks at BetAnySports, Serbia is a favorite:

Serbia -116
Costa Rica +428
Draw +241

Serbia -1/2 Goal -118
Costa Rica -1/2 Goal +103

Over 2 Goals -106
Under 2 Goals -109

Serbia hopes that it can benefit from a coaching change as they proceed into the World Cup. The big problem, it appears, is that Slavoljub Muslin couldn't figure out a way to use the nation's best player - Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - or rather, that he refused to. His was an example of a coach being married to a scheme and deciding a player did not fit into it, which is kind of like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. He stuck to a 3-4-3 alignment, while successor Mladen Krstajic, will field a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Milinkovic-Savic, an inventive midfielder, is a star at Lazio, and has been rumored to be on his way to Manchester United, and even Paris Saint-Germain, for quite some time, and the latest is that he could be headed for Juventus this summer. The point is, he is very much in demand and is going to have an impact. His principal sidekick on the offensive end is going to be Aleksandr Mitrovic, who campaigns for Newcastle United.

It would appear Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic wouldn't mind playing for the tie. “We have to be smart and not go in all guns blazing. The most important thing is not to lose," he said.

Okay, maybe he makes some sense. After all, points will be tough to come by with this group, when you have Brazil and Switzerland to contend with afterward. Of course, that is also a strong argument for going after the win.

There is much to be said about Costa Rica, including the ability of their team nucleus to break out and get somewhere last time. But the Serbian side is more harmonious with Krstajic at the helm. We had forecast them to advance from this group, and maybe that deadlock will help them do it.

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(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only)


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