Costa Rica vs Germany Prediction - 2022 World Cup: Who Will Win?

Costa Rica vs Germany Preview

This game will start at 19:00 GMT on the 1st of December, with Japan taking on Spain at the same time as Group E comes to a close. To watch all of the action, tune in to ITV as they will be covering all of it. Below you can find a table of Group E ahead of this vital match:

As can be seen from the above table, all four teams still have the chance to qualify for the knockout stages. In order for Costa Rica to have a chance of making it through, they must beat the Germans and hope that the Japanese do not pick up a shock win against the Spanish. Spain know that they just need to avoid defeat in order to book themselves a spot in the Round of 16, while Germany know that anything other than a win will see them exit the World Cup at the Group Stage for the second time in a row. However, if Germany beat Costa Rica and Spain draw with Japan, then the Germans will need to score win by at least two goals to go through.

🏠 Costa Rica Form and Team News

Costa Rica's 2022 Qatar World Cup campaign got off to a terrible start against Spain. Yes, not many expected them to get any points from this match due to talent that Spain have at their disposal, but the way that they meekly succumbed to a 7-0 hammering would have had them and their fans fearing the worst. To say that they did not land a single punch on Spain in their opening game would not be an exaggeration in the slightest.

They entered their second match of the tournament against Japan knowing that a defeat would see them knocked out of the competition with a game to spare. This meant that there was plenty of pressure on their shoulders, but they dealt with this pressure admirably and defended stoically all game. When they got their one and only chance of the match, they put it in the back of the net to give themselves a chance of going through on the last match day of Group E.

Luis Fernando Suárez would have liked to play the same starting XI for their pivotal match against Germany, but he is going to have to make at least one change due to the fact that their centre-back, Francisco Calvo, picked up his second yellow of the tournament against Japan, meaning he is suspended for the third and final match. While Calvo will be disappointed to miss out, his yellow card against Japan was pivotal because it is likely that Japan would have equalised had he not made a professional foul. Other than that, at the time of writing, Suárez has no other injuries or suspensions to contend with.

Costa Rica starting Lineup

We expect the Costa Rica coach to stick with his 3-4-2-1 formation and to choose the following XI to start the match:

Keylor Navas (C)

Keysher Fuller

Ó. Duarte

Kendall Waston

J. Vargas

Bryan Oviedo

Celso Borges

Yeltsin Tejeda

Joel Campbell

Gerson Torres

Anthony Contreras

⭐ Costa Rica Players to Watch

There are three players that we think you should look out for when Costa Rica and Germany clash, and you can find them below:

• Keylor Navas: It is safe to say that Navas is the best keeper that Costa Rica have ever managed to produce, and he will be vital to their chances of progressing to the Round of 16. During his playing career, he has made 104 appearances for Real Madrid, winning the Champions League with them three times as well as La Liga on one occasion. Nowadays, he plays for Paris Saint-Germain, but he is playing second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma. He will have plenty to do against Germany, and Costa Rica will be hoping that he is at the top of his game
• Joel Campbell: We think that it is fair to say that this Costa Rica team is not full of goals, so if they do get a chance to find the back of the net, they are going to need to take it with open arms. If they do get an opportunity to score, they will be hoping that the chance falls the way of Campbell, since he is probably their most natural goal scorer - in 121 appearances for his nation, he has scored 25 goals, and Germany will be wary of his talent
• Bryan Oviedo: In these big games you need experience and players who have played in high pressure games before, and Oviedo definitely fits this bill. Those of you who have followed the English Premier League for a long period of time will remember him playing for the likes of Everton and Sunderland. To date, he has been capped 78 times by his country, and his experience will be crucial if Costa Rica are going to get a shock win against the Germans and send them packing

☍ Germany Form and Team News

Germany's first game of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was against Japan, and all of the sports betting sites would have had the Germans as the overwhelming favourites to go on and win this match. Things went to plan for the Germans in the first half as they went in at the break with a 1-0 lead courtesy of an Ilkay Gündoğan penalty. However, they just did not turn up in the second half and two quick-fire goals from Japan saw them fall to a shock defeat and leave their World Cup hopes hanging in the balance.

Their second match of the Qatar World Cup was against Spain, who were fresh off a 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica, and Germany knew that another loss would probably leave them all but eliminated from the competition, so they put in a spirited display against a talented Spain team and managed to pick up a 1-1 draw. Now they know that a win against the Costa Ricans on Thursday should be enough to see them book a spot in the Round of 16.

Hansi Flick will be glad that he has a full squad to choose from on the 1st of December, unless, of course, something happens in training between now and then. This is not good news for Costa Rica as they will be quietly hoping that some of Germany's best players will be missing to make things a little easier for them.

Germany starting Lineup

We feel that Flick will use a 4-2-3-1 formation against Costa Rica, and this is our Germany predicted XI for the game against Costa Rica:

Manuel Neuer

Thilo Kehrer

Niklas Süle

Antonio Rüdiger

David Raum

Joshua Kimmich

Leon Goretzka

Serge Gnabry

Jamal Musiala

İ. Gündoğan

Niclas Füllkrug

So, we are expecting Flick to make just the one change for this match with Thomas Muller being replaced by Niclas Füllkrug.

⭐ Germany Players to Watch

Below are the three players that we recommend you keep an eye on for Germany:

• Niclas Füllkrug: The Werder Bremen striker has only three caps to his name at the age of 29, but his fantastic form as of late saw his get a surprise call up to the Germany squad for the World Cup. Against Spain, he came on as a second half substitute and scored the equaliser that helped to keep Germany's World Cup dreams alive. He is your old-fashioned striker, and we expect him to be in the starting XI against Costa Rica on Thursday
• Jamal Musiala: The 19-year-old could have played for England, but he opted to play for the country of his birth, and Germany fans will be grateful that he decided to do so because he is a very talented player who can play on either wing and cause the best defenders all sorts of issues. The Bayern Munich player also has an eye for goal as can be seen from the 20 goals that he has scored in 71 appearances for his club
• İlkay Gündoğan: The Manchester City player is pivotal for the German national team because not only does he have an eye for goal, but he is also one of those players who knows how to pick a pass. As his name suggests, he could have played for Turkey, but he opted to play for the Germans instead. Jürgen Klopp, when he was the manager of Borussia Dortmund, called Gündoğan a complete midfielder, and it is hard to argue with this. To date, he has picked up 65 caps for his country and has found the back of the net 17 times, so Costa Rica will be wary of the danger that he poses

💯 Costa Rica vs Germany Betting Odds

What is the likely result of this match according to the top betting sites that UK football bettors can open an account with? Well, it is not going to be too much of a surprise to find out that the Germans are the firm favourites to pick up all three points and scrape through to the Round of 16.

⚡ Match Winner

Below you can see the various WC 2022 betting odds that five of the best UK bookmakers are providing for either team to go on and win this game:

Team
Germany	1.09	1.10	1.10	1.10	1.09
Draw	9.00	9.75	11.00	10.00	10.00
Costa Rica	19.00	20.00	26.00	21.00	24.00

🔥 Both Teams to Score

In the table above we gave you the odds for either team to win the match, but one of the reasons why football is such a popular bet for punters to bet on is that there are many different markets to bet on. Another football betting market that we always suggest to our readers goes by the name of Both Teams to Score, and below are the odds that five quality bookmakers are offering for such an outcome.

Team
No	1.57	1.57	1.53	1.60	1.60
Yes	2.25	2.35	2.38	2.25	2.35

🥅 Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Another top market that we always look at betting on is the Over/Under 2.5 goals market. With such a wager, you have to bet on the number of goals that you think will be scored in a match. For instance, if you believe that there are going to be plenty of goals in a game, then you can plumb for the over 2.5 market and support any team that is on the attack.

Below we have provided you with five top bookies and the odds that they are offering their punters for this over/under 2.5 goals market.

Team
Over 2.5 goals	1.29	1.30	1.33	1.28	1.30
Under 2.5 goals	3.30	3.35	3.25	3.40	*3.45

🥇 Who Will Win? Costa Rica vs Germany Prediction

If we are being honest with ourselves here, it is hard to go for anything other than a Germany win. Yes, nobody expected Hansi Flick's men to be heading into this match with just the one point, but they showed against Spain that they have plenty of talent in their squad. Costa Rica will try to keep things tight at the back and play on the counter, but it will be pretty surprising if the Germans do not manage to find the back of the net at least twice, which should be enough to see them go through.

🔍 Our Costa Rica vs Germany Betting Tips?

The odds for a Germany win are really low, so there really is little point in you putting your money on them to win since you would need to place a big stake in order to land any sort of decent profit. Therefore, one top World Cup football betting tip that we can give you is to think about placing a handicap bet on Germany to win - if you give them a minus 2-goal deficit, then it will increase their odds considerably, and you will not have to put down a large stake.

Alternatively, if you do not want to put your money on a team to win, we really do like the look of the over 2.5 goals market. With Germany needing to win by a couple of goals just in case Japan manage a draw against Spain, we fail to see how there will not be at least three goals in the crucial Group E match.

🎁 Find World Cup Free Bets

All of the best sports betting sites out there will offer their new punters a nice variety of free bets as a thank you for signing up with them. The world of sports betting is really competitive, so all bookmakers that are worth their salt will offer a nice variety of free bets to entice new punters to open an account.

In the table below, you can see three quality free bets that three of the best sports betting sites are offering that can be used on this Costa Rica vs Germany match. However, like always, remember to gamble responsibly and take the time to read the terms and conditions that apply.

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Costa Rica vs Germany FAQ