In the quarterfinal of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico battles Costa Rica. Kickoff from AT&T Stadium in Dallas is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we preview BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Mexico vs. Costa Rica odds, and make our best soccer bets, picks and predictions.
Mexico ended its Gold Cup group stage with a 1-0 loss Sunday to Qatar, which scored in its lone shot on target. Mexico beat Honduras 4-0 June 25 and Haiti 3-1 June 29 prior to losing its final battle. Mexico ended atop Group B with Qatar also qualifying for the knockout stage.
Costa Rica scored 7 goals (no player scored 2 goals) and allowed 6 goals through its 3 stage games, posting a 1-1-1 record. Costa Rica finished 2nd in Group C behind Panama, while Martinique and El Salvador were eliminated. Costa Rica beat Martinique 6-4 and drew El Salvador 0-0.
As of June 29, Mexico sits 14th on the FIFA World Ranking and Costa Rica ranks 42nd.
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Mexico vs. Costa Rica odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Mexico -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | Costa Rica +800 (bet $100 to win $800) | Draw +425
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -155 | U: +110)
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Mexico vs. Costa Rica picks and predictions
Prediction
Mexico 2, Costa Rica 0
Moneyline (ML)
PASS.
Costa Rica did not look impressive in the group stage. It was outshot 10-4 by in a 2-1 loss to Panama and barely edged El Salvador in shots, 3-2, in the 0-0 draw.
While Mexico (-300) might have lost 3-0 to the USA in a Nations League Cup semifinal, it has looked better since. It lost to Qatar, but had 24 more shots and 5 more shots on target. Mexico had 17 or more shots in each group stage match.
Couple that offense with a disappointing group stage for Costa Rica, and it is clear these odds are justified. However, at -300, it doesn’t make much sense to play Mexico to straight-up win. PASS.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (+110).
Mexico has gone Under this total in 5 of 10 matches in 2023, and it has gone Under in 2 of its last 4 matches. Costa Rica has gone Under this total in 3 of its 7 games this year and has been held scoreless in 3 of its last 6 games.
It will be taking on a competent Mexico defense that allowed just 2 group stage goals as well. Mexico also allowed just 4 shots on goal through those matches, so it should be able to heavily limit Costa Rica.
In what should be a more competitive match than either side consistently faced in the group stage round, expect more difficulty in getting easy opportunities. BACK UNDER 2.5 (+110).
Check out Pro Soccer Wire: For the American soccer fan, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s website provides a fresh look at the beautiful game.
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