COLOMBIA will be targeting a second win in the Copa America as they battle Costa Rica in a Group D fixture. The Costa Ricans can make things difficult but Colombia have looked confident in recent times and should have the upper hand here.
Colombia began their Copa America campaign on a positive note as they picked up a 2-1 victory over Paraguay. They raced to a two-goal lead before halftime through Daniel Munoz and Jefferson Lerma and were able to hold on for the win despite the Paraguayans pulling one back after the break.
That result is a reflection of Colombia’s good form in recent times as their last defeat was a 1-0 loss to Argentina back in 2022. Nestor Lorenzo’s men are currently on a nine match winning run across all competitions but have failed to keep a clean sheet in three of their last four matches.
Costa Rica head into Friday’s clash off the back of a 0-0 draw with Brazil in their opening fixture. They had no attempts on target and rode their luck a few times with the Brazilians missing several good chances.
Manager Gustavo Alfaro will take confidence from the result as it means Costa Rica are now unbeaten in their last four matches, stretching back to before the Copa America. However, the performance was far from solid and they are likely to be punished by a more clinical side.
How the bookies view it: Colombia to triumph
The bookies have installed Colombia as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 3/10 by Betfred. An unlikely victory for Costa Rica is valued at 8/1 while Betfred is also offering odds of 7/2 for a draw.
Recent head to head: Colombia on top
Colombia often come out on top in this fixture and have won four of the last five matches against Costa Rica. The last meeting was a friendly in 2018 which ended 3-1 in favour of the Colombians.
Players to watch: Diaz to show quality
Luis Diaz was lively in the opening fixture and will be keen to get among the goals on Friday. The Liverpool forward could be worth keeping an eye on and is priced at 9/5 by Betfred to find the net.
Manfred Ugalde often features in attack for Costa Rica and could be the one to watch on Friday. The forward has two goals in his last four international appearances and is priced at 9/2 by Betfred to get on the score sheet.
Probable line-ups
It was a solid display from Colombia in the opening fixture and they are unlikely to make changes to the team. Rafael Santos Borre is expected to lead the line, with James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz providing support.
Costa Rica are also expected to retain the same team that earned a point against Brazil. Manfred Ugalde and Alvaro Zamora should continue their attacking partnership while Juan Pablo Vargas should feature in the heart of defence.
Colombia: Vargas, Mojica, Lucumi, Sanchez, Munoz, Arias, Lerma, Rios, Diaz, James, Borre
Costa Rica: Sequeira, Quiros, Mitchell, Vargas, Calvo, Lassiter, Galo, Brenes, Aguilera, Zamora, Ugalde
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have shown some defensive vulnerability in recent times and could be backed to score at 11/8 with Betfred. Colombia saw over 2.5 goals in their opening fixture and a repeat is priced at 10/11 by Betfred, who is also offering 9/4 for over 3.5 goals.
Given the minimal odds for a straight Colombia victory, a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 6/5 with Betfred.
This Copa America match between Colombia and Costa Rica will be played on Jun 28, 2024 and kick off at 23:00. Check below for our tipsters best Colombia vs Costa Rica prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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