Germany must beat Costa Rica to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout phase of the 2022 World Cup.
Hansi Flick’s team lost to Japan in the opening match and had to fight hard to draw with Spain last time out. They will be eyeing a comprehensive victory here.
Overtaking Japan on goal difference has to be a priority for Die Mannschaft to make sure they go through if the other match ends in a draw.
Costa Rica can go through with a point if Spain beat Japan. They have lost just twice in their last 15 matches in all competitions.
Total Costa Rica Goals: Under 0.5
Over Costa Rica’s last 14 matches, 10 have produced two or fewer goals.
This is a team which is defence-first by nature, and those tendencies will be exaggerated further by the circumstances.
Costa Rica’s attack has generated just 0.1 expected goals through two matches, after failing to register a shot against Spain. They had just four shots in their surprise win over Japan.
Anytime Goalscorer: Jamal Musiala
Scorer of nine goals in just 12 Bundesliga starts this season, Jamal Musiala is more than a promising talent. He has shown flashes of his ability in Germany’s first two matches and will be a persistent threat against Costa Rica.
While Flick has tweaked his forward line, Musiala’s spot is not at risk.
He has fired off four shots in two matches, following on from an impressive mark of 0.42 non-penalty expected goals per 90 over the last 365 days at club level.
Total Corners: Over 9.5
There has been 10 or more corners in both of Germany’s matches so far.
While Costa Rica are unlikely to add many to the tally here, Germany are motivated to attack throughout the match.
Piling on the pressure, Germany are bound to generate plenty of corner kicks against Costa Rica’s low block.
Don’t be surprised if the Nationalelf reach this over on their own.
All odds are subject to change