Spain faces Costa Rica in their World Cup Group E opener on Wednesday at 4 p.m., hoping to get off to the best possible start. Defending champions Spain have struggled to make an impression in each of their World Cup appearances since 2010, whereas 2014 saw Costa Rica’s strongest World Cup showing to that point with a run to the quarterfinals. Spain vs Costa Rica Live Streaming, Prediction, Lineups & Preview Guide by Live Football TV.
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Spain vs Costa Rica Kick-Off Time
Spain vs Costa Rica will kick off at 7.00 pm Qatar time, 4:00 pm UK time, 5:00 pm Central European time, and 11:00 am Eastern Time (ET).
Spain vs Costa Rica Preview
Spain won the World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2008 and 2012 during a period of dominance. La Roja has had a terrible few years by their own high standards, losing two of their three finals matches and withdrawing in the round of 16 last time around.
Spain lost on penalties to hosts Russia in the round of 16 in 2018, but they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and are capable of making an impact. Luis Enrique’s team won 3-1 over Jordan on Thursday, their first encounter since beating Portugal 1-0 at the end of September.
Spain finished first in League A Group 2 to proceed to the semi-finals, and they easily qualified for the World Cup finals by winning Group B with six victories, one draw, and one loss. Germany and Japan are also in Group E, and the former will expect to move to the round of 16. Their encounter is Sunday night.
In 1990, Costa Rica reached the round of 16, but was eliminated in the group stage in 2002 and 2006. In 2014, the national team reached the quarterfinals by leading Group D ahead of Uruguay, Italy, and England before beating Greece on penalties in the first knockout round.
The Netherlands beat Costa Rica 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw in the quarterfinals. Los Ticos beat Nigeria 2-0 in their last friendly on November 11, and they’ve only lost one of their last 13 matches, so confidence should be high.
Luis Fernando Suarez will be managing in his third World Cup, having already guided Ecuador and Honduras. The 62-year-old was given a new contract after the 1-0 win against New Zealand in June.
Costa Rica was the last team to qualify for the World Cup, and while they are outsiders to advance, a win against Spain would set them up well for their November 27 match against Japan.
Spain vs Costa Rica Team News
Alejandro Balde replaces injured Jose Gaya in Spain’s roster, but the team has no other injury concerns. Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres might join Alvaro Morata, who has 27 goals, in Enrique’s forward line.
Gavi and Pedri will play alongside Sergio Busquets in midfield, while Pau Torres will partner Aymeric Laporte in defense. Unai Simon will start in goal for Spain, while Dani Carvajal and Jordi Alba will play fullback.
Costa Rica coach Suarez is anticipated to use a 4-3-3 formation that becomes a 4-5-1 while not in control. Keylor Navas will start in goal, and Francisco Calvo, Oscar Duarte, Carlos Martinez, and Bryan Oviedo will play defense.
Celso Borges should play on the right, with Anthony Contreras leading the line. Joel Campbell has 25 goals in 119 international appearances and will play in La Sele’s final third.
Spain vs Costa Rica Lineups
Spain possible XI:
Simon; Carvajal, Laporte, P Torres, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; F Torres, Morata, Fati
Costa Rica possible XI:
Navas; C Martinez, Calvo, Duarte, Oviedo; Tejeda, Bennette, G Torres; Borges, Contreras, Campbell
How to Watch Spain vs Costa Rica Match?
You can watch Spain vs Costa Rica match on TV and stream it online. Check out our FIFA World Cup Official Broadcaster list to know which channel will telecast this Spain vs Costa Rica match in your region. fuboTV offers a great deal with the free trial to stream all the FIFA World Cup 2022 games in high definition for any device.
Spain vs Costa Rica Prediction
It’s possible that Spain will have a tough time in this game, and a draw wouldn’t be surprising at all. However, Enrique’s team has been solid defensively as of late, and they possess enough offensive firepower to score at least once, so we’re going with a narrow La Roja triumph.
