Costa Rica and Serbia square off in their Group E opener in the first of the three games on Sunday.
The Central Americans had sprung a huge surprise in making the 2014 World Cup knock-out stages and will be eyeing a similar start to this edition. They had made the quarter-finals in 2014, only conceding two goals in five games and beating Italy and Uruguay to top a group that also included England. Their fairy-tale run ended against the Netherlands on penalties in the last eight.
A 2-0 defeat to England and a 4-1 loss to Belgium in recent friendlies may have shaken Costa Rica’s confidence but they would take inspiration from their showing in the last edition.
? #LaSele reconoció el Samara Arena, donde este domingo debutará ante @FSSrbije en la @fifaworldcup_es #Rusia2018#VamosTicos #CRC #LaSeleSRB pic.twitter.com/vtLLEDIapM
— FCRF (@fedefutbolcrc) June 16, 2018
On the other hand, Serbia had mixed results from their warm-up games. They come into the match on the back of a confidence-boosting 5-1 win over Bolivia. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a hat-trick, with Adam Ljajic and Branislav Ivanovic also netting. Prior to that, they were beaten 1-0 by Chile in their other warm-up match.
Serbia failed to make it out of the group stages at their last two World Cups. However, hopes are high that the current side can break that trend. Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic and Southampton’s Dusan Tadic are some of the notable players in the team.
With Brazil and Switzerland being the other two teams in this group, a win in this game will bolster the qualification chances of both the teams.
Sportzwiki brings you all you need to know ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Venue and time:
Costa Rica and Serbia will lock horns at the Samara Arena on Sunday. The action will begin at 5:30 PM IST.
Players to look out for:
The Central Americans will have high hopes from their goalkeeper Keylor Navas. The Real Madrid star remains the golden boy of his nation and will no doubt be expected to play a huge role in keeping his defence together. Costa Rica had conceded six goals in two warm-up games and Navas will have to play a big role if they are they to do well in the opener.
Aleksandar Mitrovic will be the one to look out for from the Serbian camp. The Newcastle United striker scored 12 goals in 20 games during his loan spell with Fulham in the second half of the 2017/18 season to help secure promotion to the Premier League. He has also netted 14 goals in his last 18 games for Serbia, including a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Bolivia. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic could also make a big impact.
Where to watch:
The Indians fans will enjoy an extensive coverage of the game. The English coverage will be shown on SONY TEN 2 SD and HD channels. The Hindi feed will be aired on SONY TEN 3 SD and HD channels. Bengali and Malayali feed will be available on SONY ESPN SD channel.
Squads:
| Position | Costa Rica players |
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Pemberton, Moreira |
| Defenders | Gamboa, Smith, Matarrita, Oviedo, Duarte, Gonzalez, Calvo, Waston, Acosta |
| Midfielders | Guzman, Tejeda, Borges, Azofeifa, Wallace, Ruiz, Daniel Colindres Christian Bolanos |
| Forwards | Venegas, Campbell, Urena |
| Position | Serbia players |
| Goalkeepers | Stojkovic, Rajkovic, Dmitrovic |
| Defenders | Kolarov, Ivanovic, Tosic, Rukavina, Veljkovic, Rodic, Spajic, Milenkovic |
| Midfielders | Matic, Milivojevic, Milinkovic-Savic, Grujic, Ljajic, Tadic, Kostic, Zivkovic, Radonjic |
| Forwards | Mitrovic, Prijovic, Luka Jovic |
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