Only victory counts for Costa Rica
Four match days are still to be played in the North and Central American World Cup qualifiers. However, the wheat has long since been separated from the chaff. The only team outside the top four that still has serious hopes of making it to the 2022 World Cup is Costa Rica. However, “Los Ticos” are already four points off fourth place, which would entitle them to relegation against the fifth-placed team from South America.
The 49th-ranked team in the FIFA World Ranking cannot afford to slip up any further. Consequently, only an away win counts in Kingston on Wednesday night. However, the odds ahead of the clash between Jamaica and Costa Rica show that this will be anything but a foregone conclusion, despite the fact that the Jamaicans have certainly been one of the disappointments of this CONCACAF qualifier so far.
As the second-last team in the standings, the “Reggae Boyz” have virtually no chance of punching their ticket to Qatar. But whether this means that they will forfeit the remaining qualifying matches or at least bow out with their heads held high will of course have a major impact on the outcome of the match between Jamaica and Costa Rica. The fact is that the home side will have to improve, especially defensively, compared to the three international matches they have played so far in 2022.
Jamaica – Statistics & current form
Only once, in 1998, did the Jamaican national football team qualify for a World Cup finals. In France, the Reggae Boyz failed in the preliminary round despite a respectable victory against Japan (2:1). Until today, the players from the Caribbean have to wait for a second participation. This will not change in 2022.
Four matchdays before the end of CONCACAF qualifying, the Jamaicans are only in penultimate place. They are ten points behind the fourth-placed team. This disappointing result is mainly due to the fact that they have only managed to win one match in ten (four draws, five defeats).
Three defeats under the new head coach
The world No. 57 couldn’t get a foot on the ground, especially offensively. In total, the men of coach Paul Hall, who has only been at the helm since December 2021, only managed nine meagre goals. The 15 goals conceded, meanwhile, are the third lowest in comparison with the other seven teams. Nevertheless: In six of the ten matches played, a bet on the under 2.5 would have gone through.
Incidentally, anyone hoping that the Reggae Boyz would “go through the roof” under new coach and Whitmore successor Paul Hall was proved wrong in the first three international matches in the 2022 calendar year. After a 3-0 defeat to Peru, they also suffered defeats at home to Mexico (1-2) and in Panama (2-3). The coach’s first approach must therefore be to stabilise the recently fragile defence. Perhaps this is one of the arguments that justifies betting on a low-scoring game between Jamaica and Costa Rica, or at least on a relatively uneventful first half.
Predicted Jamaica line-up:
Blake; Brown, Lowe, Pinnock, Lawrence; Morrison, Williams, Johnson; Walker, Flemmings, Antonio
Last matches played by Jamaica:
World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF Finals
01/30 2022 – Panama 3 – 2 Jamaica
01/28 2022 – Jamaica 1 – 2 Mexico
Friendly
01/21 2022 – Peru 3 – 0 Jamaica
World Cup Qualifier CONCACAF Finals
11/16 2021 – Jamaica 1 – 1 USA
11/13 2021 – El Salvador 1 – 1 Jamaica
Costa Rica – Statistics & current form
The Costa Rican national team is usually associated with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where “Los Ticos” sensationally made it to the quarter-finals, defeated Greece on penalties in the round of 16, but ultimately lost out to Holland in the last eight – again on penalties!
The team around keeper Keylor Navas is currently far from such great successes. For the first time since 2010, they are in danger of missing out on participation in a World Cup finals. With four matchdays to go, the world’s 49th-ranked team has its back to the wall. Currently four points behind fourth-placed Panama, it will take an impressive final spurt for them to climb at least one place up the rankings.
Little spectacle in Costa Rica’s qualifiers
But the fact that coach Luis Fernando Suarez’s team can still dream of Qatar at all is thanks to two strong performances last week. First, they won the direct duel with Panama 1:0, then the outsiders fought their way to a remarkable 0:0 draw in Mexico. The defence in particular looked extremely solid – as it had throughout the entire qualifying campaign.
In fact, in the ten games involving “Los Ticos”, only a measly 14 goals were scored. With seven goals, Costa Rica have one of the most harmless offences in the CONCACAF zone, but with only seven goals conceded, they also have one of the most stable defences. In only 30% of all qualifying matches would a bet on the over 2.5 have gone through. Six out of ten matches saw a maximum of one goal, which again is a clear indication that the odds on under-goals are also a good option on Wednesday night.
Predicted Costa Rica line-up:
Navas; Fuller, Waston, Calvo, Oviedo; Tejeda, Borges, Salas; Torres, Martinez, Campbell
Last matches played by Costa Rica:
World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF Finals
01/31 2022 – Mexico 0 – 0 Costa Rica
01/28 2022 – Costa Rica 1 – 0 Panama
11/17 2021 – Costa Rica 2 – 1 Honduras
11/13 2021 – Canada 1 – 0 Costa Rica
10/14 2021 – USA 2 – 1 Costa Rica
Jamaica – Costa Rica Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The first leg between these two national teams took place on 09 September 2021. After an early lead by the Costa Ricans, the then guests from the Caribbean still managed to equalise to a final score of 1-1. Jamaica have not won against Los Ticos in qualifying since 1997.
Moreover, the trend is clearly towards an under-match. In twelve of the past 14 encounters, the 2.5 goal mark has not been broken. In exactly half of these matches, a maximum of one goal was scored. Therefore, the prediction of an Under 1.5 between Jamaica and Costa Rica also promises a promising value.
Jamaica – Costa Rica Tip
Costa Rica’s last chance to get into the race for the four CONCACAF tickets for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be at stake on Wednesday night in Kingston. If the 2014 quarter-finalists want to knock Panama off fourth place, they need a three-goal win. This extra motivation also ensures that slightly lower odds are offered on the away win between Jamaica and Costa Rica.
Nevertheless, our first recommendation is that few goals will be scored. On the one hand, because in twelve of the last four matches the under 2.5 would have been crowned with success. On the other hand, because in matches involving the Suarez eleven there is usually not much spectacle. Seven goals scored and seven conceded in ten matches underline this assessment impressively.
With new Jamaican coach Paul Hall looking to stabilise the defence after three consecutive defeats in which he conceded two goals or more, we expect the first half to be uneventful. That’s why we’re betting on Jamaica and Costa Rica not to score a goal in the first 45 minutes
