Via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IsSNmRsBEA
The clash between Switzerland and Costa Rica will be played at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on June 27th. Switzerland could go through even with a loss here as Serbia is facing a tough task against Brazil elsewhere, while the Ticos are eliminated but will try to score the first goal at this World Cup.
Switzerland vs. Costa Rica
Three-Way: 1: Switzerland -152; X: +260 Draw; 2: Costa Rica +600 (Odds provided by Delaware Park Sportsbook)
Spread -1: Switzerland +116; Costa Rica -137
Total 2.5 goals: Over +120; Under -147
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Serbia had an opportunity to secure their place in the Round of 16 with a victory over Switzerland and everything went their way in the first 45 minutes as they took a 1-0 lead through AleksandarMitrovic in the 5th minute. However, the situation changed in the second half as Switzerland managed to equalize thanks to Granit Xhaka’s left-footer from outside the box in the 52nd minute, which was a great moment for the punters who bet on BTTS at +100.
Serbia was evidently tired in the final 30 minutes of the clash, while the Swiss decided to defend and hit the Eagles on the break, and in the 90th minute, Xherdan Shaqiri was the fastest in the opposing half and calmly put the ball past Vladimir Stojkovic to give his team a crucial 2-1 victory. It was a great goal for the Stoke City’s winger, but also for those who bet on the Red Crosses to win at +200 and over 2.5 goals at +140.
On the other hand, Costa Rica held the Brazilians to a 0-0 result in the first half, but the Selecao switched to a higher gear after the interval and created serious scoring opportunities through Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho, and Neymar, but Keylor Navas and the Ticos’ sturdy defense didn’t allow a goal. Still, Brazil scored an opening goal in the first minute of injury time, and at that point, it was obvious that they will knock out Costa Rica out of the World Cup, which Neymar only confirmed with a fine volley from inside the box in the 97th minute.
Players to watch
After a fantastic performance against Serbia, it is natural to pick out Xherdan Shaqiri as the man to watch for the Swiss on this one as he already has a goal and an assist to his name at the tournament. He is by far the most-gifted technician in Switzerland squad and could create a havoc in Costa Rica’s box.
Keylor Navas could be the one to frustrate the Swiss forwards here as he will be looking to record his first clean sheet at the World Cup, so Real Madrid’s goalkeeper could turn out to be a man of the match.
Probable Lineups:
Switzerland: Sommer; Lichtsteiner, Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Xhaka, Behrami; Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Zuber (Embolo); Seferovic (Gavranovic).
Costa Rica: Navas; Gamboa, Gonzalez, Acosta, Duarte, Oviedo; Venegas, Guzman, Borges, Ruiz; Urena (Campbell).
Betting Prediction
Switzerland’s chances to win the World Cup are now +5000, while the Red Crosses are +120 to reach the quarter-finals.
The Red Crosses are considered as strong favorites here, but they don’t have to go all-in and could even play 0-0, but I am convinced the Ticos will try to score their first goal at the tournament, so I am backing Costa Rica not to lose by more than a goal difference.
The Pick: Costa Rica AH +1 (-137)