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

🏠 Japan Team Preview

Japan might be the second best AFC side in Qatar according to the recent FIFA World Rankings, but in the overall rankings they are sitting in 24th place. However, they have had a pretty solid 2022, losing only two of the 11 games that they have played. This included a run to the Kirin Challenge Cup final courtesy of wins against both Ghana and Paraguay, but they fell at the final hurdle, losing 3-0 to a talented Tunisia team. They recently picked up a really impressive 3-0 win against South Korea, so it is fair to say that they will be arriving in Qatar feeling relatively confident and upbeat.

🏆 World Cup History

The 2022 Qatar World Cup will be the seventh consecutive time that Japan has appeared in the finals, and they have made it to the Round of 16 in 2002, 2010, and 2018. These campaigns though have been intertwined with three exits in the Group Stage in 1998, 2006, and 2014, and they failed to win any of their nine games.

Their best performance to date was definitely in the 2018 World Cup in Russia where they played Belgium in the second round and came so close to knocking them out. In an enthralling encounter, Japan were winning 2-0 with 52 minutes on the clock, but the Red Devils scored three times in the last 20 minutes to book themselves a spot in the quarter-finals and cause heartbreak for the Japanese.

✔️ Qualification and Road to the World Cup 2022

Since they were one of the top ranked teams in Asia, Japan were given a bye into Round Two of the AFC qualifying process for the Qatar World Cup. During this second round, they won all eight qualifying matches, scoring 46 goals and conceding just two as the qualified for the Third Round with ease. During the Third Round, they played 10 matches and won 7 of them, finishing second in their group behind Saudi Arabia and ahead of Australia.

Below you can see some information regarding the matches that Japan played in to book their spot in Qatar:

⭐ Japan Players to Watch

We are now going to look at three quality Japanese players that will be representing Japan at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar:

• Takumi Minamino: Those who have followed the English Premier League in recent years will recognise Minamino since he played for them 55 times, scoring 14 goals in the process. When it comes to his international record, he has scored 17 goals in 43 matches, and nine of these came during Japan's World Cup qualifying campaign. Thanks to a low centre of gravity, sharp movement, ad technical ability, he is one of Japan's main threats and will give his opponents plenty to think about
• Kyogo Furuhashi: He might be small in stature, but when it comes to his attacking threat he is a giant. He currently plays for Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, and he has been scoring goals for fun with 22 goals in just 33 matches. With just 16 caps to his name, he is a bit of a novice on the international stage, but we still expect him to be one of Japan's star players at this year's World Cup
• Takehiro Tomiyasu: Arsenal fans will know all about Tomiyasu as the versatile defender has made 32 appearances for the club since signing for them in 2021. He can play at either centre-back, right back, or on the wing which makes him a manager's dream. If Japan are going to pick up any points in a tough group, they are going to need a strong defence, and Tomiyasu will certainly go a long way to providing that strength

☍ Costa Rica Preview

Costa Rica find themselves as one of the lowest ranked teams in this tournament since they are currently ranked as the 34th best team in the world. However, they have had a 2022 that they can be proud of since they have just lost once from the 11 games that they have played this year. This includes five wins in their last six qualifying games, which went a long way to helping them secure a play-off spot against New Zealand, which they obviously went on to win.

So, like Japan, they should also be arriving in Qatar with some confidence and they will be looking to cause an upset or two on their journey.

🏆 World Cup History

The 2022 edition will be the sixth time that Costa Rica have played at a World Cup, with their first appearance coming in Italy in 1990. Before this year, Costa Rica was either not allowed to take part or just failed to qualify. They won their first ever match at the World Cup against Scotland in 1990, and another win in their last group game against Sweden secured their place in the Round of 16, where they were defeated 4-1 by Czechoslovakia.

They failed to qualify for the 1994 and 1998 edition of the tournament, and were knocked out in the group stage in 2002 and 2006. They missed out once again for 2010 World Cup, but in Brazil 2014 they enjoyed their best ever performance at a World Cup. They finished top of a group that contained both England and Italy and made it through to the Quarter-Finals, where they were knocked out on penalties by the Netherlands. They did make it to the World Cup in Russia in 2018, but they were knocked out in the Group Stage once again.

✔️ Qualification and Road to the World Cup 2022

Since they were ranked as the third-best CONCACAF team, they go a bye into the Third Round of the CONCACAF qualifiers. However, they struggled to find their top form during their 14 matches, and eventually ended up finishing in 4th place on goal difference, which meant that they missed out on automatic qualification for Qatar. They had to play against New Zealand in a play-Off, and they went on to win a tense match 1-0 to book themselves a spot at the World Cup.

Below you can see a table that highlights Costa Rica's road to the 2022 Qatar World Cup:

⭐ Costa Rica Players to Watch

Most of the Costa Rican squad play their football in the LIGA FPD, which is their first division. Therefore, many of their players are not household names across the world, but they still have three players that you should watch when you tune into the action in Qatar.

• Joel Campbell: He has been scoring important goals for his country for many years now, and fans of Arsenal will be familiar with his name because he was on their books for seven years, although he only made a little over 30 appearances for them. He has been Costa Rica's star player since he made his debut in 2011, and if it were not for his goals in the qualifying campaign, they might not have even made it to Qatar
• Bryan Ruiz: Despite being close to 40 years of age, Ruiz is still one of his country's most creative players. This will be the third time that he has played at a World Cup, and he was a major clog in their run to the quarters in 2014. He has an incredible 146 caps for his country and 29 goals to his name, making him the top scorer in their squad. So, despite his age, he will be very important for Costa Rica in Qatar
• Aaron Suarez: When it comes to age, Suarez is at the other end of the spectrum at just 20 years old. However, he is definitely a player for the future thanks to his immense pace and technical skill. With just three caps to his name to date, his time on the field in Qatar might be somewhat limited, but when he does get on, we are looking forward to seeing him in action

💯 Japan vs Costa Rica Betting Odds

Have a look at the odds that the top betting sites are offering as this can give you a good idea as to the way that a game will play out. When it comes to this Japan vs Costa Rica match, the bookies have Japan as the overwhelming favourites to claim all three points.

⚡ Match Winner

You can see the match winner odds that some top sports betting sites are offering their customers for this game:

Team
Japan	1.75	1.75	1.75	1.73	1.75
Draw	3.50	3.50	3.40	3.40	3.40
Costa Rica	4.50	4.55	5.00	5.25	5.00

🔥 Both Teams to Score

What makes football betting, so popular is the fact that it is one of those sports that has a wide variety of markets, ensuring things remain nice and fresh. Out of all the markets that are on offer, one of the ones that we really like making use of is Both Teams to Score. This is a simple yes or no market where all you have to do is decide whether you think both teams will find the net or not.

Below is a table that highlights the BTTS odds for Japan v Costa Rica:

Team
No	1.65	1.65	1.73	1.67	1.70
Yes	2.10	2.05	2.00	2.15	2.00

🥅 Over/Under 2.5 Goals

One other market that we always recommend our readers to pay attention to is the Over/Under 2.5 goals market, and with this kind of wager you are placing your hard-earned money on the total goals that you think will be scored in a match. For instance, if both teams have very strong defenders, then you can put your money on under 2.5 goals being scored. To win such a wager, you would need there to be no more than 2 goals in the game.

Below are the odds on offer for the Over/Under 2.5 goals for this Japan v Costa Rica match:

Team
Over 2.5 goals	2.25	2.20	2.15	2.25	2.15
Under 2.5 goals	1.57	1.60	1.53	1.57	*1.60

🥇 Who Will Win? Japan vs Costa Rica Prediction

With Spain and Germany favourites to finish in the two qualifying spots in Group E, there really is the feel that this is basically just a game that will determine which nation will finish third and will at least be able to claim some bragging rights. If you look at the odds on offer, it would suggest that Japan will win this match quite comfortably, but we do not think that will be the case. We do think that Japan will prevail in the end, but Costa Rica should make a game of it.

🔍 Our Japan vs Costa Rica Betting Tips?

Here are some World Cup football betting tips for this match between Japan and Costa Rica. We hope that the following advice can lead to some kind of profit, but we cannot be correct all of the time and when you are sports betting winning is something that cannot be guaranteed.

Under 2.5 goals: We do not think that this will be a match with goals galore because we think both teams' defence will come out on top. We think Japan will win this game by the odd goal or two without conceding, so betting on under 2.5 goals is the way to go.

Over 3.5 yellows: This is going to be a tense match because it is likely that the loser will be eliminated from the competition. Therefore, it will no be a surprise to see a number of yellow cards due to some dodgy tackles made under pressure.

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