Canada to tighten grip on auto qualification spot
The halfway point of the final CONCACAF qualification stage for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be reached by next week, and the picture in the zone should become somewhat clearer. Canada's exciting young side have two home games at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on the spin, and with Mexico in the second one, they'll probably need maximum points against Costa Rica on Friday evening to maintain a gap between them and the rest of the chasing pack. Read our preview here:
Jonathan's creek
John Herdman will be able to welcome back some key players for the crucial pair of fixtures. Goalkeeper Milan Borjan has fortunately recovered from contracting Covid last month, so the experienced Crvena Zvezda custodian will resume his place between the sticks with the challenge of keeping out similar veterans in the form of Joel Campbell and visiting skipper Bryan Ruiz. The onus is very much on the attack for the Canucks, with current Ligue 1 top scorer Jonathan David flanked by Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Cyle Larin, the latter of whom has been in good form for club side Beşiktaş. Veteran Atiba Hutchinson will anchor the midfield, and be tasked with spraying balls forwards to his younger, quicker teammates.
Yeltsin's shot
The absence of star stopper Keylor Navas is a huge blow to Los Ticos' chances of gate-crashing the top three during this international break, and deputy Leonel Moreira can expect to be very busy. Luis Fernando Suárez will stack the midfield behind Campbell in an attempt to soak up the hosts' pressure and hit them on the break. Yeltsin Tejeda will be half of the double pivot that will serve to starve their opponents' front three of space, and the 29 year old is adept at hoovering up loose balls. His weakness in the air could be targeted by David in particular however, so a ground game will be the best use of his talents.
Herding the leaves
Canada could make a real statement of intent by beating Costa Rica and at least avoiding defeat against Mexico on home soil. They are still unbeaten after six, and going eight without tasting defeat would be a remarkable achievement, and real proof of their rise to prominence in the men's game. The visitors are no pushovers, but will be hard pressed to trouble the scoresheet. bet365 have odds of 2.20 for a home win without both teams getting a goal.
