Costa Rica vs. New Zealand Prediction and Odds (Los Ticos Gunning for Third Straight World Cup Appearance)
By Matt De Saro
Costa Rica is in a tough spot heading into this CONCACAF North American qualifying game against New Zealand today The Ticos earned just one win and six points over seven matches during the first half of the schedule but then turned things around to post six wins and draw in their previous seven games.
La Sele now attempts to lock down a spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup when they face off against the Kiwis today. New Zealand is coming off a win over the Solomon Island 5-0 in the OFC qualifying playoffs.
Costa Rica has a good chance to punch their ticket to the show with a win against an inferior opponent in this spot. The kickoff from Ahmad bin Stadium in Qatar is in a few hours, plenty of time to make a prediction on this match.
Here are the odds for the matchup courtesy of WynnBET.
Costa Rica vs. New Zealand Odds and Over/Under
3-Way Moneyline:
- Costa Rica: -105
- New Zealand: +395
- Draw: +195
Over/Under: 1.5 (Over: -135/Under: +105)
Costa Rica vs. New Zealand Prediction and Pick
Today’s match will determine the last World Cup qualifying place and makes this game a very big deal. Costa Rica looks to qualify for its third straight World Cup after making a shocking run to the quarter-finals in Brazil back in 2014.
While Costa Rica appeared destined to break this streak, it looked like a totally different team during the second half of qualifying. So different in the fact that it nearly erased the awful first half and is one win away from heading back to the Cup. And while the odds suggest that is exactly what will happen, New Zealand is not a team to sleep on. They stole a win from Australia already this week in a FIFA Inter-Confederation playoff game against Peru and now have their sights set on La Sele.
However, as the most successful Central American team of all-time in CONCACAF play, Costa Rica has a few tricks up its sleeve. The team is led by their goalie Keylor Navas who moonlights as the keeper for Paris Saint-Germain. At one point in time, he was considered one of the top three goalies in the world. Navas, along with Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell have been here before and won’t shy away from the spotlight of this massively important game.
New Zealand, meanwhile, has a few UK pros on the team but overall lacks the depth and quality required to beat Costa Rica.
PICK: Costa Rica -1.0 (+205) Asian Handicap
Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE