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Mexico will square off against Costa Rica at Allegiant Stadium in their final group stage match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday. Both teams have secured their places in the knockout stage, and the winner of the match will finish as Group A leaders and avoid a potential clash with the USA in the round of 16.
The defending champions overcame the Dominican Republic 3-2 in their campaign opener and continued that form with a 2-0 win over Suriname earlier this week. César Montes, who had scored against the Dominican Republic, bagged a second-half brace against Suriname.
Los Ticos defeated Suriname 4-3 in their campaign opener and registered a comeback 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. Manfred Ugalde equalized from the penalty spot in the 44th minute, and Josimar Alcócer scored the match-winner in the 85th minute, with Ugalde providing the assist.
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Mexico vs Costa Rica Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have a long-standing rivalry and have crossed paths 60 times in all competitions. El Tri have been the dominant side in these meetings, recording 35 wins. Los Ticos have seven wins, and 18 games have ended in draws.
- The defending champions are unbeaten in their last 11 games in this fixture, recording eight wins.
- The last six meetings between the two teams have produced under 2.5 goals.
- Mexico have won their last five competitive games while keeping three clean sheets.
- Costa Rica, meanwhile, have won their last six competitive games, scoring 29 goals.
- They have met 13 times in the erstwhile CONCACAF Championship and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Los Ticos are winless in these games since 1969.
- The defending champions have won the last seven meetings in the Gold Cup between the two teams, including a 2-0 win in the quarterfinals in 2023.
- Los Ticos have failed to score in their last five games in this fixture.
Mexico vs Costa Rica Prediction
El Tri have scored five goals in two games in the competition thus far and will look to conclude their group-stage campaign on a winning note. Interestingly, after winning their first two group-stage games in the previous edition, they had suffered a narrow loss to Qatar in their final match.
Luis Malagón has started in the two games between the sticks and might be rested in favor of Guillermo Ochoa here. Raúl Jiménez is also likely to start from the bench, with Santiago Giménez probably handed a place in the starting XI.
Los Ticos have enjoyed a prolific run in competitive games this year and will look to build on that form. Notably, they have registered just one win against El Tri since 2001.
Keylor Navas is back from retirement for the tournament but has yet to keep a clean sheet thus far.
While both teams have a 100% record in the competition thus far, considering the defending champions' record in the Gold Cup against Costa Rica, we back El Tri to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Mexico 2-1 Costa Rica
Mexico vs Costa Rica Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Mexico to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
