Colombia vs Costa Rica Prediction: Los Cafeteros can grind Ticos down
Colombia can clinch a Copa America quarter-final berth with a victory over Costa Rica at State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Friday.
Colombia’s dream of winning their second South American title began positively with a 2-1 win over Paraguay in Houston, while Costa Rica proved that they will be no pushovers in the tournament with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against an out-of-sorts Brazil at SoFi Stadium. Read on for my Colombia vs Costa Rica preview, as well as the latest match odds and team news.
Team news
Colombia will be forced into at least one change with centre-back Jhon Lucumi ruled out with a muscle injury in his left leg.
Yerry Mina replaced him after 25 minutes against Paraguay and is the likely starter alongside Davinson Sanchez.
No other changes are expected, although Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran is pushing for some involvement after remaining on the bench in Houston.
Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro could keep the same line-up after his side’s spirited display against Brazil.
That game saw the first use of the pink card at the Copa America when Alejandro Bran replaced midfielder Jefferson Brenes due to a suspected concussion in the 64th minute.
But the Costa Rican federation have given Brenes the all-clear to feature on Friday.
Colombia are the 1/3 favourites to take the three points that would maintain their 100% start to the Copa America.
Costa Rica are 15/2 shots to pull off the upset win, while the draw is available at 100/30.
It's 11/8 for both teams to score and 8/15 for at least one of the teams to keep a clean sheet, while 5/2 is available for over 3.5 goals to be scored in the game.
Draw/Colombia @ 11/4
Colombia made a fast start to their tournament opener when they raced into a 2-0 advantage before half-time, but this match could be a different story given Costa Rica’s defensive tactics and organisation.
The Ticos have kept four clean sheets on the bounce and their goalkeeper only needed to make three saves in total to prevent Brazil from breaking the deadlock at SoFi Stadium.
Costa Rica have not conceded a first-half goal in any of their last five matches and that sequence includes games against Uruguay and Argentina as well as Brazil.
So the wait for a goal at State Farm Stadium could go on until the second half when Colombia’s superior quality and squad strength should make the difference.
With game-time temperatures at State Farm Stadium forecast to touch 42 degrees centigrade, substitutions could be the key to Colombia edging in front.
The likes of Jhon Duran and Luis Sinisterra did not get off the bench in their opening game against Paraguay, but both could have a role to play in helping them secure another three points with Draw/Colombia offering plenty of potential for profit in Half-time/Full-time betting.
Over 42.5 Booking Points @ 11/10
Stifling temperatures, combative teams and a relatively inexperienced referee are ingredients that could add up to a high number of booking points being produced in Friday’s fixture.
The heat could increase the likelihood of players making tired challenges and falling foul of the referee.
Uruguayan official Gustavo Tejera will be making his Copa America debut in the clash and has been known to flash the cards in his previous international appointments.
The 36-year-old has shown five yellow cards or more in five of his last eight appearances on the international stage and produced seven in his only World Cup qualifying game last October.
He will be taking charge of two teams that rarely pull out of a tackle with Colombia topping the foul charts in South American World Cup qualifying, while they are joint-bottom of the disciplinary list after accruing 16 yellow cards and one red in six games.
Costa Rica kept the foul count down against Brazil, committing just 10 in total, but have been known to stick the boot in on their opponents of late with the Ticos responsible for 24 in a recent clash with Grenada, 14 in a friendly against Uruguay and 20 against Argentina back in March.
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