Japan vs Costa Rica Betting Odds, Tips, Predictions, Preview 27th November 2022

Japan face off against Costa Rica at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in round two of the World Cup. The exciting encounter kicks off this coming Sunday.

Japan rank as number two on three points after their opening match in the group, while Costa Rica have zero points as number four. Japan sit as number 24, while Costa Rica enter their match on Sunday as number 31 in the FIFA world ranking.

Japan could perhaps, and it is a big perhaps, squeeze their way into second place if all the stars align. The most likely scenario though will be for them to head home after the first three matches.

Imagine coming into the World Cup hoping to cause some opponents some trouble and then getting totally hammered in the opening round. Costa Rica were left bleeding against Spain and question is whether they have licked their wounds.

Japan vs Costa Rica Prediction

Japan Form

Japan delivered a bit of everything as their last three matches added four points to their tally. An encounter with Ecuador brought a 0-0 draw, which was followed by a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Canada. Their most recent game had them back on the winning trail, as they beat Germany by 1-2. Japan claimed five wins in their last 10 matches across all tournaments, while also drawing two along the way. They endured three defeats in this run.

Japan average 1.8 goals per game in their last ten matches, scoring 18 times. They conceded eight goals or an average of 0.8 per game, performing a clean sheet five times along the way.

Costa Rica Form

In the last three matches, Costa Rica beat Uzbekistan 1-2, won 2-0 against Nigeria, and lost 7-0 against Spain. Costa Rica were able to win seven of their previous 10 games across all tournaments, while drawing one of the games. They suffered two defeats as well.

Costa Rica scored 14 goals, conceded 13 and managed a clean sheet five times in their previous ten matches.

Tournament Overview

Japan sealed a win in a slightly nervous 2-1 victory in their World Cup group opener against Germany. While not entirely convincing, they will be relieved to open their campaign with a win. Costa Rica rank as the hefty favourites with the bookmakers to exit the World Cup before the real fun starts. They don't have enough quality to cause a surprise.

Japan vs Costa Rica Lineups

Japan vs Costa Rica Betting Tips

It is the beginning of a new World Cup campaign, and both Japan and Costa Rica will be looking for their main strikers this season. Accordingly, we have listed some of the in-form players who are expected to be getting it on for each team.

In their last 10 matches across all tournaments Japan won five times, drew two and lost three times. Costa Rica claimed seven wins, drew one time and lost two in their last 10 games across all tournaments.

Japan performed an average of 1.8 goals a game in their previous ten matches in which over 2.5 goals came out six times. Over 2.5 goals came up in four of Costa Rica's previous ten matches across all tournaments. They managed to score an average of 1.4 goals in these matches.

Over 2.5 goals came up two times in the previous three encounters between Japan and Costa Rica, as Japan scored 2.33 goals on average per game and Costa Rica averaging 0.66 goals. Both teams scored in two times of these matches.

Japan scored the first goal of the match in four games from a possible ten. Costa Rica scored the opening goal in six of the last ten games.