Mexico vs Costa Rica
When these two sides meet, they won’t only fight for who gets to sit at the top of the CONCACAF Qualifiers final round standings. If there’s a winner, that team will also get a leg up from the rest of the group and assert themselves as the team to beat.
Mexico will be determined to be that squad, and with betting odds of 1X2 @ 1.62, they are heavily predicted to succeed on their home soil at Estadio Azteca.
However, Costa Rica are currently at the top of the Hex for a reason, and there’s no doubt that Oscar Ramirez is capable of masterminding a tactic for the Ticos to surprise betting websites and defy betting tips even if they are huge underdogs on 1X2 odds that put them at 5.40.
Off to a perfect start in this round, La Sele are looking well geared to continue their fantastic run. Their recent poor showing in the Copa Centroamericana will raise some suspicion but with Real Madrid keeper Keylor Navas back along with Vancouver Whitecaps winger Christian Bolaños and Sporting Club striker Joel Campbell—who both struck twice in their matches with US and Trinidad and Tobago—they can very well return to their winning form.
Sure enough, Mexico can’t be disregarded as well. Not with the abundance of scoring talent that Juan Carlos Osorio has at his disposal.
Their lineup that features the offensive threat of Bayer’s Chicharito, Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela and Benfica’s Raul Jimenez remains a force to be reckoned. Hence, the Costa Ricans will certainly have their hands full in limiting El Tri’s great attacking quality.
Nonetheless, the absence of Giovani dos Santos, Jesus Corona, Hirving Lozano and Marco Fabian due to injuries should affect Mexico’s depth. They will also be without Andres Guardado, which is a brutal blow considering that the 30-year-old was on target for the home outfit in their Gold Cup win against Costa Rica in 2015.
The fact that Mexico dominated most of their head-to-head encounters will give them some confidence, but their injury problems and the lack of a true and dependable No.1 will hurt their chances in this game. With that said, I think the advantage is in Costa Rica, and they should be a solid choice on Asian Handicap +0.75 @ 2.06.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
