In their final match before the World Cup, Costa Rica will face Iraq for the first time on Thursday in a friendly to take place at Basra International Stadium.
Los Ticos got past Nigeria 2-0 last Wednesday, while Iraq have failed to score in back-to-back contests, drawing Ecuador 0-0 over the weekend.
Match preview
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As he prepares to lead the Lions of Mesopotamia for the first time this week, Jesus Casas has a lot of work to do regarding improving their form in front of goal.
In their two friendlies played this month, Iraq have barely touched the ball or tested opposing goalkeepers, firing just one effort on target combined in those encounters, while only having 26% of the possession versus both Mexico and the Ecuadorians.
Their defensive work over the weekend was vastly improved from what we saw against El Tri a week ago, when they were beaten handily 4-0, their worst defeat since losing by that same score to Argentina at the 2018 Superclasico Championship.
Iraq have only been able to score multiple goals in a single game once so far this year, when they defeated Zambia 3-1 in March.
Between 2019 and 2021, the Iraqis seemed to be making great strides, unbeaten in 19 consecutive matches as they moved up from 89th to 68th in the FIFA rankings over that stretch.
Unfortunately, the program has regressed since then, as Iraq drew their first four games of third-round qualifying and ultimately missed out on the finals.
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The Costa Ricans have an opportunity to extend their unbeaten run versus Asian opponents to three straight games on Thursday.
This current generation managed to earn the last World Cup berth in 2022 thanks to its solid defensive shape, conceding just one goal in their final six qualifiers this year.
Their organisation and discipline along the backline propelled them to an inter-confederation playoff as the Costa Ricans scored only 13 goals in 14 matches in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, but gave up the second-fewest (eight).
Luis Fernando Suarez chose a World Cup squad made up primarily of veterans with plenty of international experience at every position except in midfield, where only four of the 12 players selected have more than 10 international caps.
Last Wednesday, Los Ticos had no trouble taking care of an inexperienced Nigerian squad which consisted mainly of U-23 players, as the home team took the lead after seven minutes and cruised to a comfortable victory.
Costa Rica come into this encounter unbeaten in their last four matches versus teams outside of their region, scoring multiple goals in three straight games.
Team News
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After conceding four goals in a defeat to the Mexicans, Jalal Hassan was much sharper in between the sticks for Iraq on Saturday, stopping four shots to collect a clean sheet against Ecuador, while Zaid Tahseen made his second appearance for the senior squad, as did Amar Muhsin and Shihab Razzaq.
Aymen Hussein has scored the last three goals for his country dating back to March, while 19-year-old Zidane Iqbal is seeking his second appearance with the senior squad, rarely featuring for his club side Manchester United.
Only six players in Iraq's starting 11 versus Mexico kept their place in the opening lineup against Ecuador, including Jalal Hassan, Manaf Younis, Ali Faez, Amjad Attwan, Ibrahim Bayesh and Hussein.
Oscar Duarte scored his first goal in over a year for Los Ticos in their victory over Nigeria last Wednesday, Kendall Waston fired home his ninth for the national team and Esteban Alvarado picked up a clean sheet.
Celso Borges can move into fifth place in all-time goals for the Costa Ricans if he scores in this one, as he is currently tied with Juan Ulloa at 27, two more than Joel Campbell and two fewer than Bryan Ruiz.
Keylor Navas is three caps short of Mauricio Solis for eighth all-time, while Douglas Lopez, Anthony Hernandez and Alvaro Zamora all started against the Nigerians, each making their third career international appearance.
Iraq possible starting lineup:
Hassan; Younis, Faez, Yahya; Jassim; Aoraha, Attwan, Ghasem, Bayesh; Muhsin, Hussein
Costa Rica possible starting lineup:
Navas; Fuller, Calvo, Duarte, Oviedo; Salas; Zamora, Ruiz, Tejeda, Aguilera; Campbell
We say: Iraq 0-1 Costa Rica
Both sides showed a solid commitment to defending and organisation in their previous encounter, but neither have proven they have the poise and quality in the attack to bury their goalscoring opportunities.
The Costa Ricans are not as dynamic as they were at the 2014 World Cup, but their experienced leaders have stepped up countless times to propel them to victory this year, and we anticipate those individuals will do that in this encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
