Costa Rica vs New Zealand Predictions

• Costa Rica have won seven of their last nine games
• The Kiwis have picked up just two victories in their last five fixtures outside of New Zealand
• Costa Rica have qualified for four of the last five World Cups

Can Costa Rica qualify?

Costa Rica have only failed to reach one of the last five World Cups, the 2010 edition in South Africa, and after a run of seven wins in nine, they look prime to qualify for Qatar 2022.

Luis Fernando Suárez’s side warmed up for this game by beating Martinique 2-0 in a CONCACAF Nations League game, their fifth clean sheet in five outings.

This game is on neutral territory, but if away form is anything to go by, The Ticos should not have too many concerns, losing only three of their last ten – of which two came to USA and Canada.

New Zealand look up against it

New Zealand on the other hand have only reached one World Cup since 1982, ironically the same tournament that Costa Rica missed, but their form is patchy at best.

The Kiwis have lost four of their last ten on the road, including a 1-0 friendly defeat to Peru earlier this month as they warmed up for this game.

They have not had too many matches over the last couple of years due to coronavirus restrictions back home, meaning a lot of their wins have come against ‘lesser’ nations, such as Fiji, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands.

I predict that Costa Rica will win this game and they should do so reasonably comfortably given their defensive record, with a 2-0 victory my correct score prediction.