Both teams start the second match in Pool E of the 2022 World Cup in completely different spirits. While Japan stunted with a win over Germany, Costa Rica were totally undercut by Spain. Costa Rica is out for revenge and for Japan, the second round shines. Japan is therefore the big favourite with the online bookmakers with much lower odds. Read our preview with prediction, betting tip and quotes for Japan – Costa Rica.
JapanWorld Cup 2022 – Latest Team News and Statistics
Japan finished second in the qualifying series in a group with Saudi Arabia, Australia, Oman, China and Vietnam. The expectations of the Japanese were not that high in the pool with Germany and Spain. That has changed after the surprising 1-2 win over Germany. If Japan wins and Germany does not beat Spain, the Japanese are already qualified for the second round of the 2022 World Cup.
Many of Japan’s players play in top European leagues anyway. Takehiro Tomiyasu, for instance, has become a mainstay in the defence of Arsenal, the current Premier League leaders. A remarkable number of players from the Japanese squad also play in the Bundesliga. You can find them at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Schalke 04, VFB Stuttgart, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Eintracht Frankfurt, among others. In the Netherlands, we know Ritsu Doan well from Groningen and PSV. At PSV, he failed to secure a starting place, but he is doing well in Germany with first Arminia Bielefeld and now SC Freiburg. Against Germany, he started on the bench, but came on strongly and scored the 1-1 for Japan.
Costa Rica World Cup 2022 – Latest Team News and Statistics
Costa Rica will be at the World Cup for the fourth time in a row. We all remember Costa Rica from the 2014 World Cup, when they were eventually eliminated by Oranje thanks to penalty-killer Tim Krul. However, expectations for this tournament are a lot lower. This was reflected in the opening match: a hopeless 7-0 beating against Spain.
In recent years, Costa Rica has been doing less well. For instance, it qualified for this World Cup with extreme difficulty. Costa Rica finished fourth in the CONCACAF qualification for the 2022 World Cup, behind Canada, the United States and Mexico. Through the play-offs, Costa Rica still managed to qualify thanks to a narrow victory over New Zealand (1-0).
The absolute star of the team is Keylor Navas. He defended Real Madrid’s goal for many years. He currently kicks at Paris Saint Germain, where he does play second fiddle behind Gianluigi Donnarumma. In the Netherlands, we know Bryan Ruiz, notably from FC Twente and later at PSV. With 145 international matches, Ruiz is the absolute veteran of the Costa Ricans. Against Spain, he started on the bench and fell in at a hopeless disadvantage.
Japan – Costa Rica previous encounters
Both teams played each other twice in friendly matches. Japan won in both 2018 (3-0) and 2014 (1-3). Will there be a third win for the Japanese?
Japan – Costa Rica, World Cup 2022 Betting Tip & Odds
Needless to say, Costa Rica enter the match with a bruised confidence after the 7-0 thrashing against Spain. Can coach Luis Fernando Suárez turn the knob on his squad in these few days? Costa Rica will probably want to avoid another humiliation anyway. Of the Japanese, the question is how they will cope with having to make the game themselves.
For Japan, a meagre win could be enough, at least if Germany do not win against Spain. If they do, goal difference could be decisive. The Japanese will therefore be looking at the other match in this pool with an oblique eye. All in all, we expect a fairly close match, with Costa Rica failing to improve and Japan avoiding risks. Our betting tip for Japan – Costa Rica therefore reads: Japan wins and less than 3.5 goals. At NetBet, this betting tip gets you a quote of 10/11.
- Tip: Japan win and less than 3.5 goals
- Odds: 10/11 at bookmaker NetBet
- Risk assessment: medium
- Recommended stake: 5/10