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Costa Rica hasn't had a good time playing against Brazil, albeit in limited head-to-head meetings. The two nations squared off five times since the 2002 World Cup, with Brazil winning every match by a combined score of 14-3. Costa Rica hasn't scored a goal against Brazil in three games over the past decade. It is time to continue our Copa America odds series with a Brazil-Costa Rica prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Brazil hasn't had great form since October, holding a 2-3-3 record. It may be a more challenging time for the longtime soccer giants, but they haven't played easy games. Their schedule over those eight games includes countries like the United States, Mexico, Spain, England, Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay. Only winning two games over their last eight does create some issues, but it also means that no team in Copa America played a more difficult schedule in the lead-up to the tournament.
Playing against Costa Rica should feel like a walk in the park for Brazil. However, Costa Rica hasn't been playing terribly, with impressive 3-0 and 4-0 wins over Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis this month. They also have an encouraging 0-0 draw with Uruguay to their credit. Costa Rica hasn't allowed a goal in three straight games. Their wins in June didn't come against soccer giants or prepare them as well as Brazil's games did, but they should have some confidence entering the tournament.
Here are the 2024 Copa America odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
2024 Copa America Odds: Brazil-Costa Rica Odds
Brazil: -700
Costa Rica: +1400
Draw: +700
Over 2.5 goals: -210
Under 2.5 goals: +168
How to Watch Brazil vs. Costa Rica
Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
TV: FS1, TSN
Stream: (Click Here for Free Trial)
Why Brazil Will Win
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Brazil's biggest hit happened before the tournament began, with Neymar ruled out due to a knee injury. The scoring burden will fall on Vinicius Jr., who is more than up to the task. He had 15 goals in 22 starts for Real Madrid, then helped lead them to the Champions League title with six goals in the tournament.
Brazil's midfield will also be steady, but with Casemiro left off the roster, they have to hope the starting three hold up. Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta, and Douglas Luiz are all solid options, but the three options behind them have just five international caps combined. If any of the starting three falter or sustain an injury, Brazil could have problems holding up later in the tournament.
Ederson is also out of the tournament with a fractured eye socket, but Brazil has two all-world goaltenders. The injury will elevate Alisson Becker into the starting role, which is no big deal as he played in four games at the 2022 World Cup.
Why Costa Rica Will Win
As a +1400 underdog, there aren't many reasons to believe that Costa Rica will win this game. However, they did earn a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in May. Considering that Brazil lost 2-0 to Uruguay in October, you can argue that the gap between these teams isn't that large. The last time Costa Rica allowed a goal was in a March match with Argentina, three games ago. If Costa Rica can shut down Brazil, they could pull off an upset.
Final Brazil-Costa Rica Prediction & Pick
Costa Rica's stingy defense is a reason to back them, but as we saw against Uruguay, they could shut down Brazil here, but scoring a goal would be their biggest challenge. The Uruguay argument also loses steam when you realize the Brazil-Uruguay match was a World Cup Qualifier and the Costa Rica-Uruguay match was a friendly.
Costa Rica's defense isn't enough to back them, but we will take the under in this matchup. The last three Brazil-Costa Rica matches have gone under, and the Brazilians could ease into this tournament with a 2-0 win before taking on the tougher teams.
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Final Brazil-Costa Rica Prediction & Pick: Under 2.5 (+168)
