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Costa Rica will square off against Honduras at the Toyota Stadium in the 2024 Copa América qualifying play-offs on Saturday.
Six teams from the CONCACAF will be playing in the Copa America, which commences in June. The USA will be the host nation for the competition. Two spots are up for grabs in the group stage, with Canada and Trinidad and Tobago squaring off in the first playoff on Saturday.
Costa Rica were eliminated from the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Nations League in November by Panama, as they suffered a 6-1 loss on aggregate. Honduras put up a strong fight against Mexico but lost 4-2 in the penalty shootout after the match ended 2-2 on aggregate.
Both teams are playing their first competitive match of the year. Costa Rica registered a 2-0 win over El Salvador in a friendly in February while Honduras lost 2-0 to Iceland in January.
Costa Rica vs Honduras Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two Central American sides have a long-standing rivalry and have met 64 times in all competitions since 1930. They have contested these meetings closely, with Costa Rica having a narrow 24-21 lead in wins and 19 games ending in draws.
- They last met in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2021, with Costa Rica recording a 2-1 home win.
- Eleven of the last 13 meetings between the two teams have produced fewer than 2.5 goals.
- They have been evenly matched in the last 10 games in this fixture, with three wins apiece and four games ending in draws.
- Costa Rica have seen conclusive results in their last six games in all competitions, with four losses and two wins.
- Interestingly, Honduras have kept five clean sheets in their last eight games and have failed to score in five games in that period.
Costa Rica vs Honduras Prediction
Los Ticos registered a 2-0 win in a friendly in February, ending their three-game losing streak in all competitions. They have suffered three consecutive losses in the CONCACAF Nations League, scoring just one goal while shipping in seven.
They have suffered just one loss against Honduras in their last seven games. Interestingly, the loss came in the Nations League in 2021, as they lost 5-4 on penalties after the score ended 2-2 in regulation time.
Randall Leal has been left out of the squad by head coach Gustavo Alfaro, while Jewison Bennette could not recover in time from an injury. Andy Rojas' visa could not be processed in time and he will only be able to join the team for the friendly against Argentina. Keylor Navas has been named in the squad for the first time by Alfaro.
Los Catrachos have suffered back-to-back 2-0 losses and will look to return to winning ways. They have just one win in their last seven meetings against Costa Rica, with four games ending in draws.
They have a lengthy absentee list for the crucial match, as Alberth Elis, Luis Palma, Luis López, and Kervin Arriaga are injured while Anthony Lozano, Denil Maldonado, Enrique Facussé, and Joseph Rosales will serve suspensions.
With that in mind and considering Costa Rica's better recent record in the fixture, they are expected to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Costa Rica 2-1 Honduras
Costa Rica vs Honduras Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Costa Rica to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Joel Campbell to score or assist any time - Yes
