Copa America: Costa Rica vs Paraguay Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

The final game of Group D in the Copa America is likely to be a tight and cagey affair between Costa Rica and Paraguay. Neither side are favourites to make it very far in the Copa America, but with a win they could book a spot in the knock-out rounds.

Both Costa Rica and Paraguay are hardly known as the most attacking sides in the world, more known for their ability to sit low and frustrate the more free-flowing sides of the tournament, as seen in Costa Rica’s draw with Brazil. Therefore we’ve predicted a tight 1 - 0 win for Paraguay.

The player to watch for this game is Julio Enciso, the Brighton player missed a lot of the Premier League season with injury and will be looking to get back to scoring in the Copa America.

We predict: Costa Rica 0 - 1 Paraguay

Costa Rica take on Paraguay in the final game of the Group stage on Wednesday at Q2 Stadium in Austin. Knock-out football is already off of the table for Costa Rica and Paraguay who will just look to go out on a win.

Date: 03/07/2024

Kick-off time: 02:00 (BST)

Location: Q2 Stadium

Group C has heavy hitters such as Colombia and Brazil, and both Costa Rica and Paraguay are already out of contention for Quarter-final action but will be aiming to finish their Copa America campaign with a win.

Costa Rica currently sit third in Group D after two games. In those two games, Costa Rica have picked up one draw and one loss, leaving them on one point, still the only team in the group yet to score.

This is Costa Rica’s fifth ever appearance at the Copa America after their debut back in 1997. The best ever finish for Costa Rica was a Quarter-finals appearance in 2001 and 2004, but the two most recent appearances finished at the Group stage.

Paraguay currently sit bottom in Group D. In two games, Paraguay have picked up two losses, leaving them on zero points, and with the worst goal difference in the group.

In comparison, Paraguay will be making their 39th appearance at the Copa America. Paraguay have lifted the trophy twice in their history, in 1953 and 1979, however, their best finish more recently was their appearance in the Final in 2011.

Costa Rica and Paraguay have met nine times in their histories, with the first meeting coming back in an international friendly in 1965. Nothing separates the two sides, who both have three wins to their names with the other three games ending in a draw.

This fixture rarely sees both sides on the scoresheet with only two of the nine meetings between the two sides seeing both sides score. Along with this, this fixture is generally low-scoring with the biggest winning margin being two goals.

Costa Rica vs Paraguay will be shown on Premier Sports 1 in the U.K.

Costa Rica Team News

Gustavo Alfaro will likely stick with his usual side despite the loss last time out, with Manfred Ugalde, Warren Madrigal and Alvaro Zamora leading the line.

Paraguay Team News

Daniel Garnero is also likely to stick with the side he set out last time out against Brazil. However, he will be without Andres Cubas who was sent off against Brazil.

In their last five games in all competitions, Costa Rica have two wins, one draw and two losses.

An international friendly saw Costa Rica take on Uruguay. Costa Rica managed more shots on target than Uruguay with four shots on target from 16 attempts in comparison to Uruguay’s one shot on target from four attempts. Neither side could convert any of these shots as the game finished in a 0 - 0 draw.

Costa Rica hosted Saint Kitts and Nevis in a World Cup Qualifier. A brace from Orlando Galo and goals from Josimar Alcocer and Andy Rojas gave Costa Rica the 4 - 0 win with Saint Kitts and Nevis having just one shot on target.

It was another big win for Costa Rica when they took on Grenada in a World Cup Qualifier. Ugalde, Zamora and Gerald Taylor all scored in the 3 - 0 win with Grenada failing to register even one shot on target.

The first game of the Copa America Group stage saw Costa Rica face Brazil. Costa Rica were the team this time with zero shots on target, but Brazil only had three shots on target and failed to convert any of them as Costa Rica forced a 0 - 0 draw.

The last time out for Costa Rica was against Colombia. A penalty from Luis Diaz gave Colombia the lead at halftime, and in the second half, Davinson Sanchez and Jhon Cordoba both scored in the 3 - 0 win for Colombia.

In their last five games in all competitions, Paraguay have one win, one draw and three losses.

An international friendly saw Paraguay take on Peru. Paraguay had four shots on target in seven attempts and Peru had zero shots on target. Neither side had any real attempt as the game finished in a 0 - 0 draw.

Paraguay once again failed to get themselves on the scoresheet against Chile, despite having nine more shots. A brace from Victor Davila and a goal from Eduardo Vargas gave Chile the 3 - 0 win.

Gustavo Velazquez scored the only goal of the game in the 25th minute to get Paraguay back to winning ways with a 1 - 0 win over Panama in an international friendly.

The first game of the Copa America Group stage saw Paraguay take on Colombia. Daniel Munoz and Jefferson Lerma both scored to give Colombia the 2 - 0 lead at halftime. Julio Enciso did get Paraguay on the scoresheet in the second half, but Colombia held on for the 2 - 1 win.

The most recent outing for Paraguay was against Brazil. A brace from Vinicius Junior and a goal from Savio gave Brazil the 3 - 0 lead at halftime. Omar Alderete got Paraguay in the game early in the second half but a penalty from Lucas Paqueta and a red card to Cubas gave Brazil the 4 - 1 win.

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