Value on wonderkid in crunch encounter
Germany take on Costa Rica in the final round of Group G action.
Hansi Flick’s men rescued a point against Spain to keep their hopes of qualifying for the last 16 alive, and they were dealt a huge boost when Costa Rica beat Japan 1-0 in the second round of matches.
If Germany beat Costa Rica by two or more goals, and Japan do not beat Spain, then the Germans will squeeze through and take their place in the knockout stages.
Outside of some hairy moments defensively, Germany have looked quite good and Leroy Sane’s introduction saw them go up a level to take a vital point off of Spain in their last match.
Background
Costa Rica were largely on the back foot in their 1-0 win against Japan, but will carry belief from their run to the quarter finals in 2014 heading into the match as huge outsiders.
Niclas Fullkrug will likely start the game following his heroics in the draw against Spain, and it will be interesting to see how the physical striker brings the likes of Sane, Jamal Musiala and Ilkay Gundogan into play.
Flick would be very relieved to see his side break the deadlock early, with Costa Rica more than happy to sit off and play on the counter-attack.
They can be resolute and dogged defensively, with their most likely route to victory involving staying in the game until the closing exchanges.
Japan could of course make Germany’s result in this fixture irrelevant, but Flick’s men will play like that is not the case, in trusting the Spanish to do them a favour.
Goals?
The goal line is very high for this fixture, taking into account the way that Costa Rica capitulated in their 7-0 defeat to Spain, presenting little value on the Asian Handicap or an outright plus goals play.
Germany probably edged the game overall against Spain and for that reason, it is hard to deny them making the scoreline very comfortable here.
Costa Rica have scored in eight of ten.
Costa Rica have conceded in five of ten.
Costa Rica have seen both teams score in three of ten.
Costa Rica have seen over 2.5 goals in four of ten.
Germany have scored in nine of ten.
Germany have conceded in nine of ten.
Germany have seen both teams score in eight of ten.
Germany have seen over 2.5 goals in three of ten.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
A 4-2 win for Germany, but Jamal Musiala bows out of the World Cup without troubling the scorers.