Costa Rica vs. Germany: Top Storylines, Odds, Live Stream for World Cup 2022
Germany needs a victory over Costa Rica on Thursday to stay alive at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Germany is facing group-stage elimination for the second straight World Cup because of an opening loss to Japan and a 1-1 draw with Spain.
The 2014 world champions are more than capable of beating Costa Rica to ensure it has a chance of making the round of 16.
Germany also needs some help from Spain in its match against Japan. Spain is on top of Group E with four points. Japan is second with three points and a six-goal edge in goal differential over Costa Rica in third.
A Germany win would boost it up to four points. A Japan loss to Spain would see the Germans go through without any tiebreakers. A Spain-Japan draw could still get Germany into the knockout round if it wins by two goals since Japan leads Germany by one on goal differential.
To get to the knockout round, Germany needs to figure out where the goals will come from. Kai Havertz was benched for the Spain game, and Niclas Füllkrug saved the tournament for the Germans with a late goal off the bench versus their European rival.
Whichever players start up top will have to deal with Costa Rica's Keylor Navas, who may be massive on Thursday in a game in which the Ticos are not expected to have a bulk of the possession.
Odds and Match Info
Germany (-900; bet $900 to win $100)
Costa Rica (+2000; bet $100 to win $2,000)
Draw (+950)
Over 2.5 Goals (-330); Under 2.5 Goals (+250)
Match Info
Date: Thursday, December 1
Start Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app
Germany Must Figure out Scoring Issue
Germany comes into its Group E finale with two goals in group play.
Ilkay Gündogan netted a penalty in the first half of the loss to Japan, and Niclas Füllkrug came off the bench to an equalizer in the 83rd minute versus Spain.
Kai Havertz was dropped from the starting lineup after the Japan loss, but that did not help the effectiveness of the attack. Serge Gnabry, Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala could not find the back of the net.
Germany needs a difference-maker up top to not only score once, but to help the European side pile on the goals in the case of a Spain-Japan draw.
Leroy Sané could be the answer to Germany's attacking woes. The Bayern Munich player came off the bench against Spain after not playing because of injury in the opener.
Sané brings an extra element to the Germany attack, and he could play well off his club teammates Gnabry, Musiala and Müller in the final third.
Germany should expect to face a Costa Rican defense that is hard to break down. The Ticos recovered from their seven-goal loss to Spain with a clean sheet against a conservative Japan squad.
Hansi Flick's tactics have to be aggressive for Germany to create chances and be in the best spot to move on to the knockout round.
There is a scenario in which Germany needs to outscore Spain in case Japan wins the other game in Group E. Spain holds an eight-goal edge over Germany in goal differential.
That is an unlikely scenario given Spain's form in Qatar, but Germany has to be prepared for everything on Thursday, and any inch of success begins with a more effective approach up top.
Costa Rica Expected to Defend for 90 Minutes
Costa Rica should expect to defend for the entirety of the match.
The Ticos were put in the same position in the opener against Spain, and they were torn apart for seven goals.
Costa Rica put in a much better defensive performance against Japan that led to a clean sheet and a late victory thanks to a goal from Keysher Fuller.
The Costa Rica defense from the Japan game is the unit we should expect to see on the field against Germany. The Ticos learned from their mistakes and have enough pride to avoid a 7-0 result from happening again.
The North American side has a fighting chance against Germany because of its organized back line and Keylor Navas in net.
Navas is more than capable of coming up with a few massive saves over 90 minutes, and that might be the difference between a historic result and elimination.
Costa Rica needs to attack at some point, and it will likely be on the counter. The Ticos can't get into the round of 16 with a draw because of their goal differential compared to Spain and Japan.
A win is needed to get to six points, but it will be tough to come by against a Germany side that is expected to control every ounce of the contest.
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