Preview: Costa Rica vs. Guatemala - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides will be keen to gather some momentum ahead of the upcoming tournament in the United States and Canada, with the opening match taking place next weekend.

Match preview

Costa Rica's CONCACAF Nations League campaign ended in disappointment back in March, as Los Ticos suffered a 1-0 defeat against Panama to finish four points behind Los Canaleros in Group B.

Despite claiming a couple of straightforward victories over minnows Martinique, Costa Rica suffered two defeats to Panama, although the six-point haul was enough to see Luis Fernando Suarez's side qualify for the Gold Cup.

Following a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain and a 4-2 defeat against Germany, the Costa Ricans finished bottom of their World Cup group in Qatar, with a 1-0 victory over Japan proving to be nothing more than a consolation win.

When you look at the bigger picture, Los Ticos have won 11 of their 17 games since the start of 2022, recording two draws and four defeats along the way, although they have lost three of their previous five outings.

It is also worth pointing out that Suarez's men have kept nine clean sheets in their last 17 matches, meaning that Guatemala could struggle to penetrate Costa Rica's backline.

As for Los Chapines, they have already played two friendlies this month, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Mexico before losing 1-0 to Trinidad and Tobago at the Philadelphia Union's Subaru Park last weekend.

When Guatemala suffered successive defeats to Colombia, Honduras and Qatar towards the end of last year, it looked as though Luis Fernando Tena's side might struggle to qualify for the Gold Cup, but they ended up finishing their Nations League campaign on a high.

Thanks to a 2-1 victory over Belize and a 4-0 thrashing of French Guiana back in March, Guatemala finished two points clear at the summit of their Nations League group, punching their ticket to the Gold Cup in the process.

Although Los Chapines have been wildly inconsistent in recent times - recording four wins, one draw and five losses in their previous 10 outings across all competitions - they have the potential to cause Costa Rica problems.

Costa Rica friendly form:

Costa Rica form (all competitions):

W

L

W

L

W

L

Guatemala friendly form:

D

L

L

Guatemala form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

L

L

Team News

Costa Rica captain Keylor Navas is set to make his 111th international appearance this week, having played a key role in Nottingham Forest's Premier League survival in 2022-23.

Former Arsenal forward Joel Campbell and ex-Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Celso Borges have also chalked up more than a century of caps for Los Ticos and are both expected to start in California.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the uncapped trio of Josimar Alcocer, Warren Madrigal and Diego Campos will be hoping to make their international debuts.

Guatemala, on the other hand, have a couple of Major League Soccer players in their squad, with Real Salt Lake forward Rubio Rubin and CF Montreal defender Aaron Herrera both expected to feature in the starting XI.

Luis Fernando Tena will likely utilise a 4-4-2 formation, with Alejandro Galindo partnering Rubio in attack, while Nicholas Hagen looks set to continue between the sticks.

Costa Rica possible starting lineup:

Navas; Martinez, Calvo, Watson, Vargas, Zuniga; Suarez, Tejeda, Borges, Alcocer; Campbell

Guatemala possible starting lineup:

Hagen; Morales, Pinto, Samayoa, Herrera; Lopez, Castellanos, Saravia, Mejia; Galindo, Rubin

We say: Costa Rica 2-0 Guatemala

Having lost to both Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago without scoring last week, Guatemala look set to suffer another lacklustre defeat against Costa Rica, who are expected to keep a clean sheet en route to victory.

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