Not many had counted on Costa Rica progressing into the knock-out round, in fact nobody predicted it. They were expected to battered and bruised by the likes of England, Italy and Uruguay. But that was not to happen; the minnows shockingly defeated Uruguay and Italy and drew with England. They were the surprise package of the tournament that just made big heads roll in front of them. The Greece side too were not expected to progress ahead of Ivory Coast and Japan but they did. Among the underdogs, the Costa Rican side is most preferred to get through to the last 8.
Top players to look out for:
Arsenal youngster Joel Campbell has been phenomenal for the Central Americans and he will hope to continue his good run and lead their team into the third round. Fulham midfielder, too, has had an eventful tournament and will expect himself to contribute more to his country’s fortunes. Giorgio Samaras the Celtic player will hope to beat the odds that are stacked up in their favor along with Mitroglou.
Teams head-to-head:
The two sides have never faced each other.
Probable line-ups:
Costa Rica (3-5-2): Navas; Miller, González, Duarte; Gamboa, Ruiz, Borges, Tejeda, Diaz; Brenes, Campbell.
Greece (4-1-2-3): Karnezis; Torosidis, Manolas, Papasthathopoulos; Karagounis; Christodoulopoulos, Maniatis; Kone, Samaras, Mitroglou.
Prediction:
Costa Rica is the favorite to win the match as they have a more impressive track record so far in the tournament.
Final Score Prediction: Costa Rica 2 – 0 Greece.
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