Spain take on Costa Rica at the FIFA World Cup 2022 as both teams open their Group E campaign at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday, November 23. La Roja will be looking to make amends after two underwhelming campaigns since lifting the trophy back in 2010.
Post their period of utter dominance, winning Euro 2008 and 2012 with a World Cup (2010) trophy sandwiched in between, Spain have since failed to impress on the big stage. They suffered an embarrassing group stage exit in their title defense of 2014 before exiting the round of 16 in 2018.
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This year, Luis Enrique's men come into the competition in good form, qualifying for the tournament with a record of six wins, one draw and one defeat in qualifying to finish top of their group. They also find themselves in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League after finishing at the top of Group 2 in League A.
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Alvaro Morata is expected to lead the line with Barcelona players surrounding him on the wings and in midfield. Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres could take up positions on the wing with a three-man midfield of Gavi, Pedri and Sergio Busquets behind them.
Spain even impressed in their Euro 2020 campaign, reaching the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Italy on penalties.
Costa Rica meanwhile enjoyed their best-ever World Cup campaign in 2014 when they reached the quarter-finals and lost on penalties to the Netherlands. Los Ticos will be making their fourth World Cup finals appearance.
However, their recent record in the tournament hasn’t been too inspiring, having failed to win in their last six matches at the World Cup.
Head coach Luis Fernando Suarez will be hoping to change that with a forward line featuring former Arsenal attacker Joel Campbell who has 25 goals in 119 appearances for the national side. They’ll also need Keylor Navas to be on top of his game between the sticks if they hope to eke out a positive result against a resurgent Spain.
Spain vs Costa Rica Team News
Jose Gaya was forced to pull out of the Spain squad due to an injury. Barcelona’s 19-year-old left-back Alejandro Balde has been called up as his replacement. Apart from that La Roja do not have any other fitness concerns in their squad. Costa Rica will have all their players available for their opener.
Form Guide: (Last five matches)
Spain: D-W-W-L-W
Costa Rica: W-W-W-D-L
Betting Odds: (Bet365)
Spain: 1.14
Costa Rica: 23.00
Draw: 7.50
Predicted Line-Ups:
Spain Possible Starting XI: Simon; Carvajal, Laporte, P Torres, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; F Torres, Morata, Fati
Costa Rica Possible Starting XI: Navas; C Martinez, Calvo, Duarte, Oviedo; Tejeda, Bennette, G Torres; Borges, Contreras, Campbell
Where to watch and match timing:
The match will kick off at 9:30 PM IST and will be beamed live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Fans can also stream the action online on JioCinema’s official website.
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