Brazil - Costa Rica predictions and free betting tips [25/06/2024]

In the first round of Group D of Copa America, Brazil will face Costa Rica at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood tomorrow at 04:00 GMT.

Probable Line-ups

Brazil: Alisson, Danilo, Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo, Wendell, Bruno Guimaraes, Joao Gomes, Lucas Paqueta, Raphinha, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.

Costa Rica: Patrick Sequeira, Jaylon Mitchell, Julio Cascante, Francisco Calvo, Gershon Taylor, Oscar Galo, Brent Aguilera, Ariel Lassiter, Joel Campbell, Alvaro Zamora, Manfred Ugalde.

Brazil Line-up

The team, led by the relatively unknown Dorival Junior in Europe, boasts a star-studded squad, but victories are not guaranteed as too many stars might try to take the game upon themselves individually.

Goalkeepers

With Ederson from Manchester City sidelined due to injury, the primary goalkeeper will be Alisson from Liverpool. Bento from Athletico Paranaense is essentially a newcomer with no likelihood of playing time.

Defence

The leader and linchpin is Marquinhos from PSG, a worthy successor to Thiago Silva. His likely partner will be either his youthful clubmate Lucas Beraldo or the more experienced and Champions League-winning Eder Militao from Real Madrid. The flanks are considered the weakest area: veteran Wendell from Porto and long-term reserve player Danilo from Juventus occupy these spots.

Midfield

The squad is packed with bright stars, but the central trio is clear: Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa, and Lucas Paqueta from West Ham form the core. Young Joao Gomes from Wolverhampton has been recently called up, and rejuvenated Andreas Pereira from Fulham will provide support from the bench. 

Attack

Undoubtedly, Brazil's attack is the most formidable. Brazil plays in a 4-3-3 formation, and the left flank belongs to Vinicius Jr. from Real Madrid without question, just like his clubmate Rodrygo on the right. Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal, despite a mediocre season, is a long-standing squad member, while Raphinha from Barcelona returns after a rocky start in La Liga. The attack will also feature the main young star of Brazilian football Endrick, who has already signed with Real Madrid.

Costa Rica Line-up

Coach Gustavo Alfaro has chosen a tactic with three central defenders and active flanks for Costa Rica. The team features the youngest squad in this Copa America, though it lacks stars of Keylor Navas's calibre. Many players represent local or MLS teams, such as midfielders Alejandro Bran from Minnesota United and Ariel Lassiter from Montreal. A key figure in defence is central defender Francisco Calvo, who has taken on the captain’s role following Keylor Navas's retirement.

Young Brandon Aguilera from Nottingham Forest has shown himself by delivering an assist in his last match for the national team, demonstrating high potential despite his youth. In attack, Manfred Ugalde from Spartak Moscow, who has well adapted to Russia and had a solid season, is worth noting. Also noteworthy is Joel Campbell from Alajuelense, already a veteran but still making a significant contribution to this young squad's game.

Brazil

The Brazilian squad heads into Copa America not in the best shape. Amid significant personnel losses, including Neymar's absence due to injury, hopes are pinned on Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo from Real Madrid, who have excelled at club level with victories in the Champions League and La Liga. However, recent friendlies and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers have shown a lack of stability: Brazil dropped points against Spain (3:3) and the USA (1:1) and struggled to secure wins over England (1:0) and Mexico (3:2). 

New coach Dorival Junior, who replaced Fernando Diniz, must stabilise the team's play. A disappointing 2023, marked by several qualification losses, left the team at 6th place in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers table. Nonetheless, with the talent of Vinicius, excelling both on the flank and in central attack, and the young Endrick, who has scored 3 goals in his last 4 national team appearances, there is hope for more. Copa America will be a stern test for this transitional Brazilian team, which must prove its ability to handle pressure. The team must not only overcome attacking challenges but also strengthen its defence, which characterised their previous successful teams.

Costa Rica

The Costa Rican squad has participated in Copa America five times, advancing beyond the group stage only in 2001 and 2004, both times reaching the quarter-finals. Costa Rica approaches Copa America with mixed results in their recent matches. Following a lacklustre previous year with 2 wins out of 8 matches and elimination in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals, coach Gustavo Alfaro's team is showing improvement in 2024. They secured 3 wins in 5 matches, including impressive qualification victories over Saint Kitts and Nevis (4:0) and Grenada (3:0) for the 2026 World Cup, thus warming up well for the Copa. 

However, issues with scoring and a weakened goalkeeping position post-Navas continue to be worrying. The team has won only 6 of their last 17 matches, including friendlies, and conceded more than three goals in five of those games. A heavy defeat to Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League qualifiers (1:6 on aggregate) highlights deep problems within the team. In the upcoming Copa America, Costa Rica will attempt to reverse their losing streak and prove capable of competing at a high level.

Head-to-Head

Brazil dominates the head-to-head history with Costa Rica, having won all eight matches between these teams. In Copa America, Brazil and Costa Rica have faced off twice: in 1997, Brazil claimed a convincing 5:0 victory, and in 2004, the match ended 4:1 in favour of the five-time world champions. The last encounter between the teams was during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, with Brazil winning 2:0. Prior to that, in a 2015 friendly, Brazil also emerged victorious with a 1:0 scoreline. In another friendly match in 2011, Brazil once again won with a minimal advantage of 1:0.

Match Prediction: Brazil vs. Costa Rica

In recent years, Brazil has not played sparkling football due to their abundance of stars, with individual play often overshadowing the team performance. Costa Rica will play staunchly from defence, and the five-time world champions are unlikely to win by a large margin. However, individual skill should prevail. The bet is on Brazil’s victory and a total of under 3.5 goals.