Women’s World Cup: Japan vs Costa Rica Prediction, Preview, Stream, Odds and Picks
Japan and Costa Rica will battle each other on Wednesday in round two of the FIFA Women’s World cup 2023, with Japan leading the group after round one. Our sportsbook offers the best markets and live betting in the Women’s World Cup.
Japan: Superb Start
Japan is leading Group C, thanks to an impressive 5-0 win over Zambia in their campaign opener on Saturday. Though Zambia held on to a clean sheet until the 43rd minute, Hinata Miyazawa broke the deadlock just before the halftime whistle and added to her goal tally, recording a well-deserved brace in the second half. Mina Tanaka, Jun Endo, and Riko Ueki also added goals in the second half. With another win, the team has a great chance of securing their spot in the knockout stage, so we will continue to include them in our soccer picks and parlays.
Japan’s history in the Women’s World Cup showcases its power on the global stage. This is the eighth time the Japanese team is participating in the tournament, claiming the title in 2011. However, in the last edition in 2019, they were eliminated in the round of 16.
Japan has qualified for the knockout rounds in every edition since 2011. However, Futoshi Ikeda’s charges have struggled with a lack of consistency in preparing for this tournament, losing five of eight matches before playing Zambia, but thumped Panama 5-0 in their final build-up match. It could be a tournament too early for an exciting and emerging young side, but this is certainly a sleeping giant full of potential.
Costa Rica: Struggling for Goals
This is Costa Rica’s second appearance at the World Cup. The CONCACAF member nation began the tournament by losing 3-0 to Spain. The heavy loss left them searching for their first win on the global stage. Las Ticas exited the 2015 edition in Canada without winning any of their group-stage matches. They are now staring at another group stage exit if they lose against Japan.
Amelia Valverde’s charges are ranked 36th in the world, and qualified for the tournament after finishing third in last year’s CONCACAF Championship. They have struggled since then, winning only two of their last 19 fixtures and losing 14. Costa Rica is without a goal in their last two matches.
They even failed to register a single shot on target against Spain and will look to improve that record in this encounter, but if you’re betting online, you should simply fade them. Only Melissa Herrera performs far from the Costa Rican championship – in Bordeaux – but unfortunately did not weigh on the first meeting against a solid Spanish selection.
Japan vs Costa Rica Head-to-Head
The two teams have squared off just once, a friendly in 2017. Japan recorded a comfortable 3-0 home win in that match. Costa Rica has really struggled away from home lately, winning just once in nine road games. Costa Rica has suffered defeats in four of their last five games across all competitions. Japan, meanwhile, have won four of their last five games.
Japan scored just three goals in the 2019 edition of the competition, so have already delivered a better goalscoring performance this time around. Costa Rica has failed to score in three of their last five games in all competitions, while Japan have kept three clean sheets in their last five games.
Japan vs Costa Rica Match Information
- Match: Japan (1-0-0) vs Costa Rica (0-0-1)
- Location: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Day/Time: Wednesday, July 26, 1:00 a.m. ET
- Japan vs Costa Rica Live Stream: fubo.tv
Japan vs Costa Rica Betting Lines
Japan vs Costa Rica Picks and Prediction
Japan enters this clash as a heavy favorite, priced at -2000 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds, while the goal line is set at 3½.
Japan has qualified for the knockout stage in the last three editions of the World Cup. Their young squad looks great, they are in amazing goalscoring form, and we expect them to dominate this clash. They have a solid record against teams from CONCACAF, except the USA, winning 15 of their 25 fixtures. Las Ticas went winless in their first-ever appearance at the World Cup in 2015 and did not fare much better in their return last week. They failed to record a shot on target, making it the fourth time in six games that they failed to find the back of the net.
