Football Results

This is one of duels in the last round of the group stage, which has little significance since Costa Rica has lost all chances of winning the placement in the round of sixteen after losing the first two matches, while Switzerland has four points and it is quite possible that even defeat will not spoil the placement in the knockout stage. Of course, the Swiss will not leave anything to fate and we believe they will win, which will help them be the first in the group, and Costa Rica will try to at least fix the impression and achieve some goal on this World Cup. In their last mutual duel in 2010, Costa Rica celebrated with 1-0 in a friendly match.

Switzerland

What the Swiss wanted, they achieved in the first two rounds and now they have the easiest part of the job, not only because Costa Rica is the least weak rival in the group, but also because there is not too much pressure and a draw is quite enough for placement in the round of sixteen. They can even lose, if Serbia loses, however, there is no reason to think about such an outcome when they have shown that they are a team that can parry any rival. In the first round, they played a draw with the Brazilians and they were really good on the field, especially in the second half. The match against Serbia brought great pressure, both on the field and outside, and Switzerland should not have lost that duel. They received a goal virtually at the opening of the match and then the pressure was really huge.

Nevertheless, the Swiss have character and in such a situation, they quietly took over the initiative, waiting for their chance. At the beginning of the second half they equalized thanks to a goal by G.Xhaka and then the pressure moved to their opponent, for whom a draw was not a good result. The Swiss took advantage of it in the last minute and from the counterattack through Shaqiri came to the victory which has brought them the round of sixteen. Coach Petkovic did not change anything in the starting lineup, because midfielder Behrami recovered, and now Seferovic might have stay on the bench and Gavranovic could be on the field from the first minute.

Probable lineups Switzerland: Sommer – Lichtsteiner, Akanji, Schar, R.Rodriguez – Behrami, G.Xhaka – Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Zuber – Gavranovic

Costa Rica

It cannot be said that Costa Rica played badly in the first two rounds, but they failed to win any points and score any goals. Obviously, this group was still too strong for Costa Rica, who hoped they could again be a sensation, just like they were four years ago in Brazil, but this time, none of this happened and they can only say honourable goodbye. In the first round, they had easier job on the paper because they played against Serbia and were not exactly outplayed, but they received one goal and it was enough to lose. In the second round they played against the strongest rivals in the group and they practically had no chance, but in that duel Costa Rica has provided even better resistance than in the first round.

They had one point in their hands until the injury time, but then luck turned its back. They received one then the other goal and it was the end of their hopes for the round of sixteen, but they have a little consolation in the fact that they made things harder for the Brazilians practically till the very end. If they remained undefeated, the hero would certainly be their goalkeeper Navas, while coach Ramirez made only one change and that was Oviedo instead of Calva on his left back. Now there may be more changes, because there is no imperative, so J.Campbell and possibly Bolanos could also be on the field.

Probable lineups Costa Rica: Navas – Acosta, O.Duarte, Gonzalez – Gamboa, Borges, Guzman, Oviedo – J.Campbell, B.Ruiz – Bolanos

Verdict:

The Swiss have already shown their qualities and we do not expect they would relax because of the favourable situation they are in. This team will look for a new triumph and perhaps even the first place in the group at the end, so we believe they will give their maximum, and if so, Costa Rica’s prospects are not great.

Pick: Switzerland wins 1.76 - 76/100 @1XBet