2014 was a relative year of glory for Costa Rica. Los Ticos made an improbable run at that World Cup. With a record of 2-3-0 Costa Rica ended up eighth out of 32 teams. Coming off that high point is a new-found reality. Costa Rica will lose World Cup sportsbook betting value. The surprise is out of the bag. They won’t be able to ambush anyone in their matches. Opponents will be ready this time. Which is why most punters are taking a sober approach to La Tricolor. This is the price a team pays for earning respect.
2018 FIFA World Cup Costa Rica
Date and Time: June 14 through July 15, 2018
Location: Russia
World Cup Betting Online Odds at SBG: Costa Rica +25000 to win the World Cup, Costa Rica +2000 to win Group E
2018 FIFA World Cup TV Coverage: Check Listings
Costa Rica’s Improvement
Costa Rica’s World Cup sportsbook betting history has improved. Many World Cup teams live off their past laurels. For Costa Rica just the opposite has been the case. Their program has enjoyed a methodical improvement. Los Ticos have in fact qualified in four of the last five World Cup tournaments. It took them all the way to 1990 to make it the first time. In 2014 a win over Greece put them into the quarterfinals. The goal is to now build on that. But maintaining momentum in Russia figures to be a tall order.
Challenges for Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s sportsbook online challenges begin with its Group E draw. Group E means a date with World Cup co-favorite Brazil. The Brazilians are a huge -350 chalk to win the Group. Serbia and Switzerland are also well respected. In fact, Costa Rica is the dog of the group. Another concern is with the head coaching position. Jorge Luis Pinto led Los Ticos to the epic 2014 World Cup run. Pinto is now gone and replaced by Oscar Ramirez. Ramirez has kept things tactically similar. But he is still has much to live up to.
Tough Qualifying Fase
Costa Rica also raised concerns during qualifying. They qualified by scoring four wins over the two weakest teams in its group. Seems like that adds fuel to the fire of gamblers fading La Tricolor. Brazil is a massive -425 betting favorite to win their match with Los Ticos. And its not an accident. Public perception is that Costa Rica is outclassed in their group. And that 2014 run matters little now.
Captain Bryan Ruiz
On the positive the man to watch for Costa Rica is Bryan Ruiz. The team captain is one of the best attacking midfielders in the game. No other player in La Tricolor is as dangerous. Ruiz has 23 goals in 109 caps for Costa Rica. Professionally he stars for Sporting PC in Portugal. The biggest goal in Costa Rica history was scored by Ruiz. He scored the only goal in the 1-0 upset shocker over Italy in 2014. No player figured more in Costa Rica’s greatest run ever.
Matchup to Watch
The climb of Costa Rica should be respected by all. But the World Cup sportsbook betting realities are cruel. Los Ticos are simply outclassed this year. But they can still build for the future. Their matchup with Serbia in Group E is make or break. With a win that can head home with respect intact.
World Cup Betting Odds Picks
Costa Rica to post one win in the group stage.
World Cup Betting Online Pick: Costa Rica to defeat Serbia in Group E
Check out a summary of Costa Rica’s 2018 World Cup prospects!