Mexico vs. Costa Rica
In the quarterfinal of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico battles Costa Rica. Kickoff from AT&T Stadium in Dallas is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we preview BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Mexico vs. Costa Rica odds, and make our best soccer bets, picks and predictions.
Group Stage Results
Mexico ended its Gold Cup group stage with a 1-0 loss Sunday to Qatar, which scored in its lone shot on target. Mexico beat Honduras 4-0 June 25 and Haiti 3-1 June 29 prior to losing its final battle. Mexico ended atop Group B with Qatar also qualifying for the knockout stage.
Costa Rica scored 7 goals (no player scored 2 goals) and allowed 6 goals through its 3 stage games, posting a 1-1-1 record. Costa Rica finished 2nd in Group C behind Panama, while Martinique and El Salvador were eliminated. Costa Rica beat Martinique 6-4 and drew El Salvador 0-0.
World Rankings
As of June 29, Mexico sits 14th on the FIFA World Ranking and Costa Rica ranks 42nd.
Mexico vs. Costa Rica odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Mexico -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | Costa Rica +800 (bet $100 to win $800) | Draw +425
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -155 | U: +110)
Mexico vs. Costa Rica picks and predictions
Prediction
Mexico 2, Costa Rica 0
Moneyline (ML)
PASS.
Costa Rica did not look impressive in the group stage. It was outshot 10-4 by in a 2-1 loss to Panama and barely edged El Salvador in shots, 3-2, in the 0-0 draw.
While Mexico (-300) might have lost 3-0 to the USA in a Nations League Cup semifinal, it has looked better since. It lost to Qatar, but had 24 more shots and 5 more shots on target. Mexico had 17 or more shots in each group stage match.
Couple that offense with a disappointing group stage for Costa Rica, and it is clear these odds are justified. However, at -300, it doesn’t make much sense to play Mexico to straight-up win. PASS.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (+110).
Mexico has gone Under this total in 5 of 10 matches in 2023, and it has gone Under in 2 of its last 4 matches. Costa Rica has gone Under this total in 3 of its 7 games this year and has been held scoreless in 3 of its last 6 games.
It will be taking on a competent Mexico defense that allowed just 2 group stage goals as well. Mexico also allowed just 4 shots on goal through those matches, so it should be able to heavily limit Costa Rica.
In what should be a more competitive match than either side consistently faced in the group stage round, expect more difficulty in getting easy opportunities. BACK UNDER 2.5 (+110).
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