Start Off on the Right Foot
In such a short tournament like the World Cup, starting on the right foot is crucial, especially for title contenders such as Spain. Besides taking three points, you ease the pressure a bit and send a clear message to the other contenders, just like England did by crushing Iran 6-2 on Monday.
Spain is heavily favored to defeat Costa Rica, but I do expect Los Ticos to put up a better fight than Team Melli. We’ve plenty of FIFA World Cup predictions for you to consider.
Let’s check the latest World Cup odds, stats, injury reports, and World Cup lines for Spain vs Costa Rica. We’ve plenty of World Cup betting odds for you to consider.
Winning Margin
Let’s see. I expect Costa Rica to put up a good fight, but that doesn’t change the fact that Spain is going to attack like crazy. That’s what they’re used to and they’ve plenty of weapons to do so. Therefore, I think La Roja is going to win by two goals, just like they did in two of their last four games.
PICK: Spain by 2 (+275)
At Least One
Spain is going to win, but Costa Rica is going to score as well. Los Ticos have some speedy, skillful players to do some damage on the counter-attack. Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras, and Jewison Bennette are on top of the list. Plus, Los Ticos only failed to score in one of their last 10 games in all competitions. Summing up, Costa Rica doesn’t need to win for you to win, they just need to score.
Our score prediction is 3-1.
PICKS: Both Teams to Score – Yes (+190) / Over 2½ and Both Teams to Score – Yes (+250)
Top Scorer
Regarding Spain, we often talk about Pedri, who’s considered the best young player in the world. There are also Ansu Fati and Gavi, who’ve taken over Barcelona despite only being 20 and 18 years old. The thing is, neither of them was Spain’s top scorer during the qualifiers. That title belongs to Ferran Torres, who ended up scoring four goals. Plus, Torres’ girlfriend is Spain coach Luis Enrique’s daughter.
PICK: Anytime Goalscorer – Ferran Torres (+140)
Through the Air
Spain is expected to play 4-3-3 with Alvaro Morata as center-striker. Morata is very good through the air. Do you know who is also very good in the air? Kendall Waston, Costa Rica’s center-back. He’s so good through the air that he also plays as a center-striker when necessary. Therefore, I like the first goal method to be a header, no matter who scores first.
PICK: First Goal Method – Header (+450)
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
