Four years ago, Costa Rica shocked us all. The Ticos were expected to be three and out in the Group of Death, with only the most diehard of fans thinking they would make it out of the group. However, the country was able to surprise the world. Costa Rica finished atop a group that included Uruguay, England, and Italy, and they were able to get to the quarterfinals after beating Greece in the Round of 16. There, they fell to the Netherlands in penalties, but Costa Rica sent a message to the rest of the world.
In spite of their previous success, not much is expected out of Costa Rica at the World Cup. They are underdogs heading into their match with Serbia, but they are looking to turn heads once more.
The most anticipated sporting event in the world comes around once every four years, so don’t miss any of the 2018 World Cup. This match will take place at Cosmos Arena in Samara at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 17, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
World Cup Group Stage Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Serbia -111
Costa Rica +376
Draw +228
Over/Under 2
Recent Form
Heading into the World Cup, Serbia has produced mixed results. They topped a relatively weak group that included Ireland and Wales to grab an automatic spot in Russia. However, they have not performed well in friendlies.
In March, they split two matches against African countries. They suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Morocco before knocking off Nigeria 2-0. In their two most recent friendlies, the nation again split games. Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss to Chile last week, but they followed that up by hammering Bolivia 5-1.
Since qualifying for the tournament, we have not seen good soccer out of Costa Rica. The Ticos were able to pick up wins against Scotland and Northern Ireland, but neither team will be participating at the World Cup. However, they have suffered losses against all the other teams that will be playing in Russia.
Costa Rica lost 1-0 to Tunisia in late March. They followed that up with losses to England and Belgium in the last week. Those losses are definitely concerning, but the Ticos think they will be able to capture the magic from Brazil regardless.
Coaching Angle
Internal power struggles have defined Serbia over the last decade or so. That was encapsulated when Slavoljub Muslin was replaced by Mladen Krstajic after the former steered Serbia to qualification.
Muslin had a falling out with the country’s federation in late October. He had already led Serbia to the top spot in their group and a spot in Russia, but that wasn’t enough to survive the internal politics. Muslin was replaced by Krstajic, who will be only be safe in the job until the World Cup ends.
Krstajic has had some success as Serbia’s manager, but this is his first big job since retiring as a player. There is little doubt that he will be sacked if the team does not make it to the second round, so he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
Player to Watch
Keylor Navas is seen as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. After a tough start to this season, he rounded into form late in the year and helped take Real Madrid to the Champions League title.
Navas made a name for himself at the 2014 World Cup. There, he made breathtaking save after save in order to lead Costa Rica to the quarterfinals. He will certainly be tested again in Russia.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Although Costa Rica were the darlings of the last World Cup, they won’t have the same amount of success in 2018. The Ticos don’t have too many goal scoring options and that will be a problem.
World Cup Group Stage Odds: Serbia 1, Costa Rica 0
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