Switzerland vs Costa Rica FIFA World Cup 2018 – Lineups, Predictions & Stats Preview 27 June 2018
This match will be tight as Switzerland seeks to secure a spot in the next round. Costa Rica is mathematically out of the tournament and may want to end their campaign on a high. Switzerland secured a crucial win against Serbia with stunning goals from Xhaka and Shaqiri.
Switzerland Probable Lineups and Stats
Switzerland will want to retain the squad that won against Serbia. 29-year-old Yann Sommer will remain as the goalkeeper, while the captain Stephan Litchsteiner (who recently signed for Arsenal) and Ricard Rodrigues will be on right back and left back respectively. The central defence will be guarded by Fabian Schar and Manuel Akanji who was impressive in their win against Serbia. The influential duo of Granit Xhaka and Valon Berhami has formed a formidable combination and will start in the midfield to give Switzerland strength in the middle. Xherdan Shaqiri, Blerim Dzemaili, and Steven Zuber will be the creative players, while Haris Seferovic will remain as Switzerland’s central striker to complete their 4-2-3-1 formation.
Switzerland is in a great form, and their previous ball possession of 63% shows that they mean business. They will be looking to pounce on each chance they get since a win in this game will guarantee them a spot in the round of 16.
Costa Rica Probable Lineups and Stats
Costa Rica has had a tough time in the tournament and will want to field a strong team in their final match. Keylor Navas who plays for real Madrid has not kept a clean sheet so far, but his experience will be needed between the posts. Johny Acosta and Oscar Duarte will be on right back and left back respectively. The central defence will be handled by Giancarlo Gonzalez who has been very reliable for Costa Rica. Cristian Gamboa, Celso Borges, David Guzman and Bryan Oviedo will man the midfield in their 3-4-2-1 formation. Johan Venegas will be deployed on the right flank, while Bryan Ruiz will be on the left. The Costa Rica squad will be led by Marco Urena upfront who will want to score some goals to restore his coach’s trust in him.
Costa Rica had a ball possession of 28% in their game against Brazil and will want to improve on that to handle tough Switzerland.
Switzerland v Costa Rica – Head to Head
Switzerland and Costa Rica have met twice with each team winning a game at home. Switzerland is in a great form and has not lost a game since October 2017 where they lost 2-0 to Portugal. Costa Rica, on the other hand, has been on a rough patch, and that has led to their early exit in the FIFA 2018 World Cup. They may have been unlucky against Brazil with late goals from Coutinho and Neymar, and they will seek to give a good image of their country before they head back home.Expert Tip
Switzerland is in second place in the standings after one win and one loss so far. In their game against the team of Costa Rica a draw will be enough for them to see through the group stage. Our tip for this match is a win for Switzerland and a correct score of 1-0.Interesting Facts and Information
- Switzerland haven’t lost in their last 8 games.
- Costa Rica have lost 4 games in a row.
- Switzerland wins 1st half in 41% of their games, Costa Rica in 33% of their games.
- Switzerland’s recent performance is better than Costa Rica’s.
- In World Cup, Switzerland has better performances than Costa Rica.
- The winner of their last encounter was Costa Rica.
- On their last encounter, Costa Rica won by 1 goal.
- Switzerland scores 3.2 goals when playing at home and Costa Rica scores 0.6 goals when playing away (on average).
- Costa Rica has a streak of 2 games with 0 scored goals.
- When Switzerland leads 1-0 at home, they win in 100% of their games.
- When Costa Rica leads 0-1 away, they win in 60% of their games.
- When Costa Rica is down 1-0 away, they win 0% of their games.
- Switzerland have scored at least one goal for 6 consecutive games.
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