Route to Russia:

Costa Rica secured their spot in Russia with a last minute equaliser against Honduras courtesy of a Kendall Waston header from a Bryan Ruiz cross. However, they qualified off the back of a three match winless streak and had a rocky road to qualification.

How far can they get:

Costa Rica have only qualified for the World Cup a total of four times, reaching the Group Stage twice, Round of Sixteen once and most notably reaching the Quarter Finals in 2014. After their 2014 success, and only being knocked out on penalties by the Netherlands, you’d think they could go into this World Cup more confident than ever. However, their squad is not up to the same standard they set in 2014, as seen during their recent friendlies. They will need to battle Serbia and Switzerland to get out their group, and this should be their realistic goal, anything more than that would be a bonus, considering their recent form.



Manager:

Óscar Ramírez spent most of his playing career in Costa Rica, playing for both Alajuelense and Saprissa. He also played for his country, getting 75 caps. Ramirez has had tremendous success as a manager in the Costa Rican domestic league, and even previously been the assistant manager for the international squad. Taking all this into consideration, he certainly has the experience, and being a national fan favourite he will have his country’s backing.

Ones to watch:

One of the stand out stars for the Costa Ricans has to be Bryan Ruiz, the man has bucket loads of experience and as captain, will use this to try to get his country out of Group E. Keylor Navas will play a vital role between the sticks, having a solid goalkeeper is vital in a tournament like this, and Navas certainly has the big game experience needed to keep his cool, and hopefully a few clean sheets. Also, keep an eye on Joel Campbell, who made a name for himself in the last World Cup.

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