Costa Rica vs New Zealand Predictions, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds, Picks, June 14

Check the latest soccer news, stats, injury reports, and World Cup odds for Costa Rica vs New Zealand.

Costa Rica: Keylor Navas & 10 More

Goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the main reason Costa Rica are here. Los Ticos finished fourth in the CONCACAF qualifiers, despite only scoring 13 goals. In fact, Panama (fifth) had four more goals in the tournament.

What was the difference? Rather, who was the difference? It was Navas. Los Ticos allowed only eight goals. PSG’s star leading them to seven clean sheets. On the other hand, Los Canaleros allowed 19 goals. They finished with a clean sheet four times.

So, two weeks ago, Costa Rica and Panama met in the CONCACAF Nations League. Navas didn’t play and Los Canaleros won in a 2-0 shutout. Captain Bryan Ruiz and veteran Celso Borges also didn’t play.  However, no worries, all are expected to play in Tuesday’s match

Offensively, Joel Campbell is Costa Rica’s main weapon, scoring in Costa Rica’s last match prior to facing the All Whites. That was against Martinique and Los Ticos were 2-0 winners. Also, Center back Francisco Calvo scored.

Overall, Los Ticos only lost three of their last 10 games away from home. They scored in four of those games and finished with a clean sheet five times. Again, it was Navas.

Including Costa Rica in your soccer picks would mean a $130 investment in order to make a $100 profit. This is a much more experienced team. That’s not a bad deal. Plus, Los Ticos have no injuries.

New Zealand Met All Expectations

Regarding the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), New Zealand simply have no competition. The All Whites finished the regional qualifiers undefeated with a 5-0-0 record. Overall, they scored 18 goals, having conceded only one. In the Grand Finale against the Solomon Islands, its was a 5-0 rout.

Chris Wood is the All White’s main weapon. He finished the qualifiers atop the scoring chart with five goals. Defender Bill Tuiloma was next with three goals. Defensively, Liberato Cacace, who plays for Empoli in the Italian Serie A, leads the way. Rumor has it he could join Juventus next season.

The problem is that things are a bit different when it comes to facing teams from other regions. Prior to Costa Rica, the All Whites faced Peru and Oman. They lost, 1-0, to Peru and drew scoreless to Oman. Against Peru, a team similar to Costa Rica, they finished with two shots.

The All Whites are offering a +425 price in the sportsbook to win. Being only one game, playing on the counterattack could work in their favor. Four years ago, all WC playoff series were two games. New Zealand would have suffered greatly..

Costa Rica vs New Zealand Head-to-Head

These two have met only once. It was a friendly match in 2007 and Costa Rica were 4-0 winners. Alvaro Saborio, since retired from the national team, had a hat trick. Ruiz, who’s expected to start in Tuesday’s game, also scored.

Costa Rica vs New Zealand Game Information

• Date: Tuesday, June 14
• Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Doha
• Costa Rica vs New Zealand Live Stream: fuboTV

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Costa Rica vs New Zealand Betting Lines

Costa Rica vs New Zealand Prediction

This isn’t the best version of Costa Rica, but still a better team than New Zealand. Los Ticos faced much better teams to get here, having finished the second round of the octagonal with a 6-1-0 record (nine goals, only two against). Do not get us wrong. The All Whites won’t be easy prey, but Los Ticos’ experience will make the difference, allowing them to fulfill their role as betting online favorites. You can’t put a price on experience, right?

Score Prediction: Costa Rica 2, New Zealand 1