Switzerland team is set to face Costa Rica in their final match in Group E on Wednesday (June 27) They were in a great position to qualify for the round of 16 after they picked up a huge 2-1 win against Serbia on Friday (June 22) evening.
However, their path into the knockout round is not yet guaranteed. Well. they will be keeping an eye on the other group match between Brazil and Serbia.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, are already out of the coveted World Cup though. They recently lost to Serbia in their opening game, followed that with an unfortunate but expected defeat to Brazil. They held been firm against the South American superpowers for the vast majority of the game. But Phillipe Coutinho dashed their hopes while scoring a late winner owing to a penalty and the lead that was quickly doubled by Neymar Jr.
Eventually, this left them clueless and goalless coming into the final match. In fact they are now winless in five World Cup games. They have even failed to score in four of those fixtures.
Adding that to the fact that they have lost eight of their last ten games and failed to score on five occasions. It doesn’t look likely that they’ll get off the mark here either.
Considering they want to top the group, a win for Switzerland looks an excellent price here. We’re also expecting a decent win for them.
So, we’re backing a Switzerland with the scoreline of 2-0.
So far, the 2018 World Cup has been the year of penalties. At the time of writing, there have been 16 penalties awarded to the distinct teams.
Moreover, it seems inevitable that the current record of 18 penalties will be broken. With this in mind, Ricardo Rodriguez is Switzerland’s prime set-piece taker, and with three goals in Switzerland’s last eight matches, the left back looks a great choice for our anytime goalscorer predictions.
Predicted Lineups:
Switzerland (4-2-3-1): Sommer, Rodriguez, Schar, Akanji, Lichtsteiner, Xhaka, Behrami, Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Embolo, Gavranovic
Costa Rica (3-4-2-1): Navas, Acosta, Gonzalez, Duarte, Gamboa, Borges, Guzman, Calvo, Ruiz, Venegas, Urena
Prediction:
Switzerland have looked very impressive and they earned the right to be in prime position to qualify from their group.
Of course, nothing is certain, but if they beat Costa Rica, they have every chance of finishing in first place in the group. It would also earn them a hypothetically easier draw in the next round.
Costa Rica did make it difficult for both Serbia and Brazil recently. But in real terms, they never looked like they were going to cause them any issues for the both-side defence. They have to play for the pride.
However, sometimes it can be enough to give their respective teams a kick up the backside.