Group E kicks off on Wednesday and these Spain vs. Costa Rica predictions suggest that the outcome may well be closer than a lot of pundits and fans think.
Spain vs. Costa Rica odds
1 – Spain to win 1-0 – 6/1
2 – Under 2.5 goals scored – 6/5
3 – Both teams not to score – 4/11
4 – Spain to win and under 2.5 goals scored – 2/1
5 – Álvaro Morata to score at first – 13/5
With all Spain’s history and current talent, they are probably still an outsider to go and win the World Cup this year in Qatar. But Luis Enrique will not have a problem with that, instead concentrating on making his system work in yet another major competition.
With the big game against Germany coming up on match day two, this fixture looks like the perfect opportunity for Spain to get off to a winning start and take control of what could be a potentially difficult group.
Although Spain do play in an attacking style, there is not really a go-to striker that scores lots of goals. Álvaro Morata will probably get the nod here, so he could be a good bet to be the first to find the net on Wednesday.
But there may not be too many other goals to celebrate at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha. Costa Rica pride themselves on a watertight defence and managed to concede just eight goals in the entire qualifying campaign.
The World Cup is something of an obsession for head coach Luis Fernandez Suárez and he is confident that Los Ticos can cause another surprise at this tournament. Costa Rica has a fairly good history in the tournament, making it all the way to the quarter finals in 2014.
This is a tough start though and, even with a strong defence and the ever-dependable Keylor Navas in goal, Costa Rica may not be able to stop Spain coming away from the game with a narrow win and all three points.
How to stream Spain vs. Costa Rica
Spain vs. Costa Rica will be broadcast by national TV stations all around the world – as well as online.
Spain vs. Costa Rica last five matches
Spain last five matches
Jordan 1-3 Spain
Portugal 0-1 Spain
Spain 1-2 Switzerland 2
Spain 2-0 Czech Republic
Switzerland 0-1 Spain
Costa Rica last five matches
Costa Rica 2-0 Nigeria
Uzbekistan 1-2 Costa Rica
South Korea 2-2 Costa Rica
Costa Rica 1-0 New Zealand
Costa Rica 2-0 Martinique
Spain top World Cup qualification goalscorers
Ferran Torres – 4
Pablo Sarabia – 2
Dani Olmo – 2
Carlos Soler – 2
Álvaro Morata – 2
Costa Rica top World Cup qualification goalscorers
Celso Borges – 2
Bryan Ruiz – 2
Joel Campbell – 2
Anthony Contreras – 2
Óscar Duarte – 1
Spain vs. Costa Rica line-ups
Spain (4-3-3): Símon; Carvajal, Laporte, Martínez, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; Olmo, Morata, Williams
Costa Rica (4-5-1): Navas; C Martínez, Calvo, Duarte, Oviedo; Borges, Tejeda, Bennette, Torres, Campbell; Contreras
Spain team news
Luis Enrique will stick with a tried and tested 4-3-3 formation and the intense team spirit that tends to get Spain the win. Although Ferran Torres was the leading goalscorer in qualifying, it is likely to be Álvaro Morata who is given the first chance up front, with Pedri, Gavi and Busquets pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
Costa Rica team news
Luis Fernandez Suárez will hope that his defensive side can keep Spain out for as long as possible and should pack the midfield to contain the likes of Pedri and Gavi as much as possible. Anthony Contreras might get the lone striker role, with Joel Campbell helping out from a little deeper when he is given a chance.