SPAIN'S latest quest for World Cup glory begins with a Group E encounter against Costa Rica at Al-Thumama Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
The Spanish took the world by storm by winning Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, but they have since struggled to hit the same heights over the last decade.
That being said, Luis Enrique's side are among the favourites to conquer Qatar at 9/1 (Highbet) and they will be expected to negotiate their way through Group E where they will come up against Costa Rica, Germany and Japan.
With a potential pool decider with fellow powerhouse Germany on the horizon on Sunday, La Roja will be eager to hit the ground running against Costa Rica.
Luis Fernando Suarez's side were the last team to stamp their ticket to this year's showpiece after navigating their way through a playoff with New Zealand.
The Costa Ricans failed to get out of their group in Russia four years ago and that is most likely where their tournament will come to an end this time around.
Outright Betting
Spain, who are without a win in their last two opening matches at a major tournament, are heavily fancied 11/100 favourites with Highbet.
Costa Rica have never beaten Spain and the bookies' odds unsurprisingly suggest that trend will continue, with Los Ticos big underdogs at 77/4 (Highbet) while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 25/4 (Highbet).
Betting Angles
A major reason for Spain's shortcomings in recent major showpieces can be attributed to their lack of cutting edge so I'll head to the Bet Builder market and merge Spain to win, under five match goals and Ferran Torres to have a shot on target at even-money (Bet 365).
With La Roja likely to dictate the tempo of the game, and Costa Rica looking to sit deep and soak up pressure, it could take a little time for Luis Enrique's men to explode into action.
While Costa Rica are one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition, their recent success on the international stage has been built on a solid defensive unit, with each of Los Ticos' last 23 losses in meaningful matches across the last 10+ years featuring four goals or fewer,
What's more, each of Spain's last eight victories in competitive competition have generated under five match strikes, all of which adds to the appeal of supporting the Spanish to secure a comfortable if unspectacular win.
To round off the even-money (Bet 365) Bet Builder I'll also back Spain's top scorer in World Cup qualifying – Ferran Torres – to have at least one shot on target during this Group E encounter.
Torres totted up a team-high 19 shots on goal during qualification and he may have to revert to the odd pop shot here against what could prove to be stubborn opposition.
Given that Spain will almost certainly dominate possession, I'll also have a small play on Spain to win, Spain to take the most corners and Costa Rica to receive the most cards at 10/11 (PaddyPower).
With tougher tests to come, Luis Enrique's team have little room for error here, so the above-mentioned combination looks like a nice way of trying to squeeze some juice out of a Spanish success.
This World Cup match between Spain and Costa Rica will be played on Nov 23, 2022 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Spain vs Costa Rica prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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