Mexico vs Costa Rica prediction: NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA: Gold Cup – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-07-08 01:30.
The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup has entered the quarter-final stage and this is arguably the tie of the round as the second and third-highest ranked FIFA nations remaining in the competition are pitted against each other, with Mexico (#14) taking on Costa Rica (#42). Mexico had a steady run to the knockout phases by winning their first two group games before losing to Qatar, but still closed out Group B as winners.
The Mexicans have proved fierce at this stage of the tournament previously, winning each of their last eight Gold Cup quarter-final ties. In fact, the Tricolor have alternated between being crowned Gold Cup champions and not in each of the last six tournaments, with the previous editions' runners-up medal perhaps hinting they’ll go one better this time around, starting with success here against Costa Rica.
That’s precisely what happened in the 2019 tournament when these two met at this stage, with Mexico progressing on penalties en route to the crown. The Costa Ricans will need to upset the recent H2H record if they’re to avenge that loss, with that defeat contributing to a run of ten winless games against Mexico (D3, L7).
Buoyed by edging a ten-goal thriller to beat Martinique 6-4 in their final group game to finish runners-up, the belief should exist that their H2H misery won’t be extended. That victory broke what was a five-game winless streak prior (D1, L4), and the Ticos’ will try to take the positives from that goal-fest to get over their quarter-final voodoo at Gold Cup tournaments, as this is where they have crashed out in seven of the last nine editions.
Players to watch: Mexico will want good luck charm Henry MartĂn to fire, since all his eight goals in national colours have produced wins (W8). He’ll be competing with Costa Rican stalwart Joel Campbell, who has scored his country’s opener in eight of his last nine international goalscoring outings.
Hot stat: Costa Rica have had the second-half produce more goals than the first in eight of their last ten matches.