Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Costa Ricavs.Paraguay

sportsmole.co.uk, 30 June 2024, 16:44
Needing a win to have any hope of progressing into the quarter-finals of the Copa America for the first time since 2004, Costa Rica will face Paraguay at Q2 Stadium on Tuesday.

A 3-0 defeat to Colombia on matchday two has dropped Los Ticos down to third in Group D with one point, while a 4-1 loss versus Brazil kept Paraguay without a point and officially eliminated them from this competition.

Match preview

After such an encouraging start to this tournament, the Costa Ricans failed to keep that momentum going in their Friday affair.

Luis Diaz converted a 31st-minute penalty, ending a four-match run for this side without conceding, while the Costa Ricans suffered their biggest defeat since a friendly against the United Arab Emirates last September (4-1 defeat).

Gustavo Alfaro's men can no longer sit back and try to frustrate the opposition, with Los Ticos needing a win and a Brazilian loss versus Colombia, plus a five-goal swing to fall their way to advance.

Costa Rica have yet to register an effort on target at the Copa America this year and are in danger of ending this tournament winless for only the second time (1997).

Only once this century have they suffered consecutive defeats in the group stage of this competition, while they have only lost their final Copa America group fixture once (4-1 defeat to Argentina).

Los Ticos are unbeaten in their previous three meetings with the Paraguayans, with the last two matches against them ending in a 0-0 draw.

American soil does not appear to suit Paraguay, who will exit the Copa America on Tuesday in the group stage for the first time since 2016 when this tournament took place in the US.

Paraguay have never won a Copa America fixture played in the United States but have also never gone pointless at this tournament.

The last time they went on to win a match after conceding the opening goal was in their opening Copa America fixture against Bolivia in 2021 (3-1), with La Albirroja losing every one of their encounters when going down 1-0 since then.

Daniel Garnero's men have conceded six goals in two group fixtures, the second-most at this tournament behind Bolivia (seven) and the most for the national team in a single Copa America group stage since 2001 (six).

Garnero has never lost three successive matches as national team manager, while the Paraguayans have not suffered three consecutive defeats since November 2022 to March 2023 (three).

Not since 2010 have Los Guaranies defeated Costa Rica (1-0), though they won the only meeting against them at the Copa America, 1-0 in 2004.

Costa Rica Copa America form:

D

L

Costa Rica form (all competitions):

L

D

W

W

D

L

Paraguay Copa America form:

L

L

Paraguay form (all competitions):

L

D

L

W

L

L

Team News

Costa Rica will be without Manfred Ugalde for this decisive match, with the Spartak Moscow striker receiving a second caution at this tournament on Friday.

There was only one newcomer to their starting 11 on matchday two, with Warren Madrigal coming into the fold in place of Jefferson Brenes.

Andres Cubas will be suspended for this encounter after the Paraguay midfielder received a straight red card near the end of their previous match, while Damian Bobadilla was the only newcomer to their starting 11.

The only goal from Paraguay at this tournament so far came from Omar Alderete, the first for the Getafe defender with the national team.

Costa Rica possible starting lineup:

P. Sequeira; Mitchell, Vargas; Calvo; Quiros, Galo, Brenes, Lassiter; Zamora, Campbell; Contreras

Paraguay possible starting lineup:

Morinigo; Velazquez, Balbuena, Alderete, Espinoza; Caballero, Villasanti; Bobadilla, Enciso, Sosa; Romero

We say: Costa Rica 0-0 Paraguay

Both sides have played conservatively throughout this tournament because they have little creativity or quality to break down the other.

The Costa Ricans still have something to play for, but we do not believe they have the resources to find a way through Paraguay in this encounter.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.