Japan vs Costa Rica Predictions

• Japan can all but seal qualification to the knockout rounds with victory.
• Costa Rica were the biggest losers in the first round of World Cup group games.
• Japan have never lost a game vs Costa Rica (W4, D1).
• Eight of Japan’s last nine victories came with 2+ goal margins.

A pivotal encounter between Japan and Costa Rica

A jubilant Japan come up against round one’s biggest losers Costa Rica in a game that could determine matters of qualification for both nations with a game to spare.

Victory for Japan will all but see the Samurai Blue through to the knockout phase for the third time across the last four tournaments including this one whilst condemning Costa Rica to consecutive group stage exits.

Japan have blown Group E wide open

Although it was overshadowed somewhat by Saudi Arabia’s win over Argentina, Japan’s come from behind win against Germany last time out is certainly amongst the biggest ever World Cup shocks.

The Samurai Blue entered that clash as 13/2 outsiders and have given themselves the opportunity to qualify with a game to spare as hot favourites. A pair of key substitutions proved vital in that comeback win, with Takuma Asano and Kaoru Mitoma making a strong case to start in this game.

Japan haven’t won back-to-back World Cup tournament games since 2002, but meeting Costa Rica could be just the tonic to buck that trend. The CONCACAF nation were round one’s big losers with a shocking 7-0 trouncing at the hands of Spain serving only to trample on Costa Rican dreams.

A Costa Rican resurgence seems unlikely

The terrible Ticos have a huge task on their hands to pick themselves up after their heaviest ever World Cup tournament defeat. Moreover, the fact that they’ve conceded at least three goals in each of their defeats against Japan won’t inspire confidence either.

This Costa Rica team look like a shadow of the fabled side that made a run to the quarter finals back in 2014 in the tournament that keeper Keylor Navas broke out on the world stage. In fact, he’s already picked the ball out of his own net over three times more than he did in that entire tournament!

Japan’s Daichi Kamada could be the man to stain that poor defensive record even further, with the Frankfurt man netting six goals across his last nine club appearances ahead of the international break. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we’re going for a dominant Japan win with a -1 handicap selection which is rounded off with a 3-0 correct score pick.