England and Costa Rica have been two of the bigger surprises in the World Cup, albeit for different reasons. England won’t be going past the group stage for the first time in 56 years, while Costa Rica will be in the round of 16 for the first time in 24 years as Group D wraps up in Brazil.
World Cup Odds: England -115, Costa Rica +305, Draw +285
Why England Can Win
At this point, England has nothing to lose after falling 2-1 to Uruguay, so they might as well let their attacking players off the leash and see if they can put two or three in the Costa Rican goal. Wayne Rooney finally scored a World Cup goal, while Daniel Sturridge was muted against Uruguay after scoring against Italy. Ross Barkley could start in place of Jordan Henderson, while Raheem Sterling will probably start again, although he struggled against Uruguay.
However, the defensive back four of Phil Jagielka, Gary Cahill, Leighton Baines and Glen Johnson aren’t of a world-class level, and captain Steven Gerrard once against failed to raise his game in an important match; it was his mistake that led to Luis Suarez’s second goal, although the defenders should have dealt with him. This part of the team has to be addressed.
Why Costa Rica Can Win
Costa Rica now believes in themselves after wins over Italy and Uruguay, and that is dangerous for England. They play five defenders and plan to counterattack against their opponents, and it has worked very well so far at the World Cup. Bryan Ruiz took the chance when it was given to him, but truth be told, Costa Rica had just been denied a penalty, so it was well deserved. Costa Rica hasn’t been to the round of 16 since 1990, and to win first place in Group D is the icing on the cake.
You have to wonder how much they can do in the next round, but Costa Rica shouldn’t be focused on that right now. A win over England would get even more fans on their side and build their confidence, and given the way England has played in this tournament, why shouldn’t Costa Rica think they can beat them? A win would just be another feather in the cap of one of the World Cup’s biggest underdogs.
Outlook
This will be the first meeting for these two countries, and England will be looking to at least avoid going out of the World Cup without a point, which is something that has never happened. They’ll pour everyone forward against Costa Rica, who should still have a chip on their shoulder as the underdogs in this game and they will stick to their plan of defend and counter, and they’ll probably be physical with England as well, which won’t be as big of a deal as it was with Italy. England will score, but their defending is atrocious and that will be the story of this World Cup.
Pick: Costa Rica
