Costa Rica vs Paraguay prediction: SOUTH AMERICA: Copa América betting tips on match 2024-07-02 01:00.
[p]Costa Rica’s hopes of reaching their third-ever Copa América knockout phase are hanging by a thread, with Gustavo Alfaro’s men needing to beat already-eliminated Paraguay to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals. After an encouraging goalless draw against Brazil on matchday one, the Central Americans were then soundly defeated 3-0 by Colombia, meaning that they have now failed to score in five of their last six Copa América games.[/p]
[p]It’s anyone’s guess how Costa Rica will fare in their final group encounter, especially as they have a perfectly split H2H record against Paraguay (W3, D3, L3). In order to progress to the last eight however, it is highly likely that Los Ticos will need to win by more than the one-goal margin of victory that they managed on those three occasions, as they will otherwise need to rely on Colombia trouncing Brazil. [/p]
[p]Paraguay have no such jeopardy to worry about, as 2-1 and 4-1 losses against those two countries respectively ensured that they became the second team to be sent packing from the USA after Jamaica. As was the case against Colombia, La Albirroja wilted between the 30th-minute mark and half-time against Brazil, rendering the contest and their campaign effectively over by the break by conceding three goals. [/p]
[p]They can still salvage a grain of pride with a positive result here in Austin, as should they fall to defeat here, it would be the first time at a single Copa América since 1925 that they have lost all of their group matches. That would be a sad way for the Paraguayans to bow out of a tournament in which they’ve enjoyed great success over the years, including being crowned winners in 1953 and 1979. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Manfred Ugalde’s suspension could see Costa Rica veteran Joel Campbell earn his 140th cap, while a goal at the Q2 Stadium would see the former Arsenal man become his nation’s fifth-highest all-time scorer. At the other end of the spectrum experience-wise is Julio Enciso, who netted for the first time for Paraguay in their 2-1 defeat to Colombia earlier this month, which was incredibly the first goal contribution that he had registered for club or country since last August. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Paraguay haven’t scored more than once in an international fixture since June 2023. [/p]