Japan vs Costa Rica Match Analysis & Prediction
27/11/2022 1:00 pm
Japan will be looking to build on their impressive victory over Germany when they continue their Group E campaign against Costa Rica at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Sunday.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side kicked off their 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Germany on Wednesday, while Costa Rica were beaten 7-0 by Spain in their tournament opener.
Japan have now put themselves in a strong position to reach the next round of the competition, and they have previous record when it comes to progressing through the group stage.
The Samurai Blue have advanced to the round of 16 on three previous occasions, including back in 2018, when they finished second in Group H before losing to Belgium in the first knockout round.
They will finish their group campaign against Spain on December 1, so there is no downplaying the importance of this contest, especially as Costa Rica enter off the back of a defeat to Spain.
Costa Rica have faced Japan on five previous occasions in international football, with all five encounters proving to be non-competitive matches, and Japan have claimed four victories, including a 3-0 win in September 2018.
Luis Fernando Suarez’s side are competing in the finals of the World Cup for the third time on the bounce, and they reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 competition, topping Group D ahead of Uruguay, Italy and England before overcoming Greece on penalties in the first knockout round.
They saw their tournament ended by the Netherlands in the last eight, but it was an impressive performance from La Sele, who beat New Zealand in the intercontinental playoffs back in June to ensure that they would be present in the 2022 edition of the tournament.
They were the last team to progress to the finals but lost 7-0 to Spain in their competition opener.
Japan vs. Costa Rica Head to head
These two nations have met on just two occasions in recent time in friendlies, where Japan have won in each encounter, scoring six goals and conceding just one.
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03/06/2014Costa Rica1Japan3Friendlies
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11/09/2018Japan3Costa Rica0Friendlies
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27/11/2022N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
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27/11/2022N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
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27/11/2022JapanN/ACosta RicaN/AWorld Cup
Japan Team News
Hiroki Sakai is a doubt for Japan due to the injury that he sustained against Germany on Wednesday, and he was forced to miss training on Thursday with the issue.
Takehiro Tomiyasu would be his replacement, although the Arsenal defender also missed training, so he will need to prove his fitness before kickoff.
Japan's Last 5 Matches
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27/06/2022Japan3Korea Republic0EAFF E-1 Football Championship
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23/09/2022Japan2United States0Friendlies
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27/09/2022Japan0Ecuador0Friendlies
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17/11/2022Japan1Canada2Friendlies
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23/11/2022Germany1Japan2World Cup
Costa Rica Team News
Suarez is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his squad from the loss to Spain, but there could be a change at the back, with Kendall Waston potentially coming in for Carlos Martinez.
Joel Campbell is again set to be joined by Anthony Contreras in the final third of the field.
Costa Rica's Last 5 Matches
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14/06/2022Costa Rica1New Zealand0World Cup Qualification Intercontinental
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23/09/2022Korea Republic2Costa Rica2Friendlies
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27/09/2022Uzbekistan1Costa Rica2Friendlies
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10/11/2022Costa Rica2Nigeria0Friendlies
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23/11/2022Spain7Costa Rica0World Cup
Japan vs. Costa Rica: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
Japan or X: Yes
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