In a Group E match, Japan (1 win, 0 losses, 0 draws) and Costa Rica (0 wins, 1 loss, 0 draws) meet Sunday at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Ar Rayyan at 5 a.m. ET (FOX Sports 1/Telemundo). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Japan vs. Costa Rica odds, and make our best World Cup bets, picks and predictions.
Japan opened its World Cup with an impressive 2-1 win over Germany at Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday. It was a rather shocking result, as Germany had 9 shots on goal to just 4 for Japan, while the Germans maintained 72.0% of the possession.
Germany went up 1-0 on a penalty kick, but the second half was all Japan, as Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano found the back of the net to help it spring the upset.
Costa Rica was pounded 7-0 against Spain in the group opener Wednesday, as CRC went down 3-0 in the first half before allowing 4 more goals in the second half.
Costa Rica was thoroughly outplayed, as Spain outshot it 17-0, including 8 shots on goal, and Spain possessed the ball 81% to just 19%.
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Japan vs. Costa Rica odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Japan -230 (bet $230 to win $100) | Costa Rica +700 (bet $100 to win $700) | Draw +350
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Prediction
Japan 3, Costa Rica 1
Moneyline (ML)
It sure is tempting to play Costa Rica (+700) as the heavy underdog for the chance to multiply your initial wager by more than 7 times. However, it’s not happening.
Japan (-240) is also not worth playing, risking more than 2 times your potential return. While Japan won’t play keep away from Costa Rica like Spain did, it has several world-class players to make it another long day for the Central Americans.
The better play is JAPAN -1 (+122) at plus-money, and JAPAN -2 (+320) is worth a small-unit play just in case things get away from Costa Rica like they did in the opener.
Over/Under (O/U)
The OVER 2.5 (-105) is an attractive play. Costa Rica conceded a World Cup high of 7 goals in the opener against Spain, while Japan also went slightly Over the number in its stunning win over Germany.
We might not get to 4 or 5 total goals, but it’s easy to see Costa Rica breaking through for its first goal of the tourney, while Japan also hits the back of the net at least twice, perhaps thrice.
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