Costa Rica vs Paraguay prediction

After an encouraging goalless draw against Brazil on matchday 1, Costa Rica failed to match up to those standards as they were trounced 3-0 by Colombia on matchday 2 and now their hopes of making it to only their third-ever Copa America knockout phase are hanging by a thread. They’ll need to win comfortably against the already eliminated Paraguay in this final round of group games to have any chance of making the quarter-final

Paraguay have been disappointing here with back to back losses seeing them exit the stage before the show had even began. A 2-1 loss to Colombia followed by a 4-1 mauling by Brazil saw them become the second team to be eliminated from this competition after Jamaica. La Albirroja will look to salvage some 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.

We expect a close contest here. Costa Rica are still in with a chance but Paraguay will be looking to save face. We particularly anticipate a close opening half with neither team ceding too much gorund. As a result we are picking the first half to end in a draw as our opening Costa Rica vs Paraguay prediction for this clash

Check out our latest Copa America predictions as we head into the knockout rounds of the tournament

Main Tip: 1st Half Draw

Our Costa Rica vs Paraguay predictions

According to the statistics and the odds of the bookmakers, we suggest the following tips:

Prediction 1: 1st Half Draw

Here are 3 reasons why we are backing the first half to end in a draw:

• 2 of their last 5 H2H meetings have been level at the break
• For Costa Rica, 1 of their 2 group games ended in a draw at halftime
• A close encounter is expected here and we feel the opening half will have limited chances either way

Odds for this bet

1Win offers competitive odds for the bet “1st Half Draw”

The odd of 2.00 means that the bookmakers are calculating with a likelihood of approx. 50% chance that the opening half of this game will end in a stalemate

Odds comparison for 1st Half Draw

1Win – odd 2.00
10Bet- odd 1.95

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Prediction 2: Under 2.5 Goals

3 reasons why we are backing this game to have no more than 2 total goals:

• Both teams have struggled to score here; Costa Rica are yet to score in this tournament while Paraguay have scored two goals in their two matches
• Both of their last two H2H ended goalless
• Their 6 H2H games have averaged just 1.50 goals a match

Odds for this bet

Paripesa offers competitive odds for “Under 2.5 Goals”

The odd of 1.57 means that the bookmakers are calculating with a likelihood of approx. 64% chance this game will have no more than 3 total goals

Odds comparisons Under 2.5 Goals

Paripesa – odd 1.57
Betwinner – odd 1.55

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Prediction 3: More Corners Costa Rica

Here’s why we feel there is value in backing Costa Rica to have more corners in this game:

• Costa Rica have had more corners in the last meeting between these teams
• For Paraguay, 3 of their last 4 matches have seen them having less corners than their opponents
• With a chance to still qualify, Costa Rica will be the aggressor here and will have more goalmouth activity

Statistics for Costa Rica vs Paraguay Prediction

Team News Costa Rica

• Costa Rica will be without Manfred Ugalde for this decisive match, with the Spartak Moscow striker receiving a second caution at this tournament on Friday
• Veteran striker Joel Campbell will earn his 140th cap to take up his place
• Haxzel Quiros, Juan Pablo Vargas, and Jefferson Brenes are expected to keep their place after relatively steady displays since earning their starts at this tournament

Team News Paraguay

• Rodrigo Morinigo is expected to continue manning the sticks for Paraguay in place of Carlos Coronel
• Damian Bobadilla picked up his third cap for the senior squad against Brazil and should keep his place in the starting XI
• Julio Enciso will lead the lines for Paraguay upfront. He netted for the first time for Paraguay in their 2-1 defeat to Colombia earlier this month, which was his first goal contribution for club or country since last August

H2H statistics

These teams have met 6 times before:

• Pretty even. Costa Rica have 2 wins, Paraguay 2 wins and 2 games were drawn
• These matches averaged just 1.50 goals a match
• Their last meeting ended in a goalless draw

Latest results Costa Rica

• 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in their last 5 matches
• 7 goals scored in these last 5 matches. Average of 1.40 goals per match
• Lost 3-0 to Colombia in their last match

Latest results Paraguay

• 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses in their last 5 matches
• 3 goals scored in these last 5 matches. Average 0.60 goals per match
• Lost 4-1 to Brazil in their last match

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