Colombia faces Costa Rica on Matchday 2 of the 2024 Copa America campaign, where both sides will be looking to get one over the other in Group D.
Colombia clashed heads with one of the two minnows in their group when Costa Rica stood in their way in Phoenix, Arizona. This could be a determining fixture in the race for qualification and who takes the top two spots in an interesting-looking group.
Colombia has won three matches against Costa Rica, but their two Copa America group stage meetings ended in wins for each side. This latest clash could determine a definitive leader in that head-to-head tussle.
The Coffee Growers are third in the race to the 2026 World Cup with three wins and as many draws from the first six games. Having missed out on Qatar 2022, Nestor Lorenzo‘s side is currently on a 21-match unbeaten run.
The most notable result was they condemned Brazil to a first-ever defeat to Colombia in World Cup qualifying.
There were three consecutive friendly wins early in 2023 including a 2-0 victory over Germany at the Veltins-Arena, that proved a perfect buildup to their World Cup qualifying series which started with a 1-nil victory over Venezuela.
Three successive draws followed, but a four-minute brace from Luis Diaz completed a comeback in the tie at home to Brazil. Colombia traveled to Paraguay next, and the victory there ensured they remained behind only Argentina and Uruguay in a 10-team group.
The start of 2024 could not have gone any better. A 1-0 victory over Spain in a friendly was followed up with another against Romania. There is another pre-tournament friendly against the USA in June, and they will look to bring momentum into proceedings against Paraguay.
Colombia has reached the quarterfinal at least five consecutive Copas America, and they came third in two of the last three editions. They have enough pedigree and confidence to push them to another deep run in this tournament, and they should well be there or thereabouts come July.
First, maximum points are needed against Costa Rica to secure a place in the next round before a potential group decider against Brazil on Matchday 3.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, will hope to stop Colombia in their tracks, but they must do better than their recent showings at this tournament.Â
Los Ticos’ best results in the Copa America are two quarterfinal finishes in 2001 and 2004. They return to the US for this tournament after last appearing at the Centenario edition in 2016.
Having had a rough start to 2023 with three defeats from four matches, four points from the matches in the group stage of the Gold Cup were enough to see them through to the quarterfinal, where they lost 2-0 to Mexico.
Costa Rica suffered a 6-1 aggregate defeat to Panama in the Nations League quarterfinals in November 2023, but they made it to a playoff round, beating Honduras 3-1 to qualify for Copa America.
La Tricolor would be hoping for a boost to its fortunes under Gustavo Alfaro, especially given its recent performances.
A 3-1 friendly defeat to Argentina to start 2024 would not have raised the spirits as they tune up for the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign in June.
Indeed, games against Saint Kitts & Nevis and Grenada could boost their confidence, but they will need a lot more when the tournament kicks off. Brazil and Colombia are their first two opponents, and they need maximum concentration to get the desired results or qualification from the group.
However, Costa Rica can have an inspired run in a major tournament, as shown at the 2014 World Cup.
Match Tickets
This Copa America showdown is scheduled to take place on Friday, 28 June 2024, with kick-off scheduled for 11 PM UK time.
Match tickets are available for sale on the websites of both national federations and the Copa America organizers, so hurry to purchase yours.
The State Farm Stadium will host this match, and around 63,000 could be in attendance for what they hope will be a memorable game for their respective teams.
This air of expectation should give the arena a vibrant energy, which would certainly translate to the players.
No one would want to miss this, and to beat the rush for tickets on official sources, we urge those needing Colombia vs Costa Rica tickets to get theirs on a ticket resale site.Â
Team News
Colombia’s injury list is relatively light at the time of writing, and they will hope players can stay fit during the tournament.
Pablo Arboine got injured playing for his country in March, but Costa Rica has most of its regulars available, and it hopes this situation stays the same for Copa America.
Line-ups
Luis Diaz is a key man for Colombia. The Liverpool star is in top form, having registered 12 goals and five assists in 40 appearances across all competitions at club level this season.
Diaz will be instrumental to their fortunes, having finished as joint-top scorer in the 2021 Copa America.
- Colombia: Vargas; Munoz, Cuesta, Sanchez, Mojica; Lerma, Castano; Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz; Borre
Costa Rica would heavily rely on veteran shot-stoppers and captain Keylor Navas to keep them in the game, as the 37-year-old’s presence between the sticks gives his side a chance to take a result from the game.
- Costa Rica: Navas; Dosman, Cascante, Arboine, Calvo, Mora; Campbell, Galo, Brenes, Zamora; Ugalde
Prediction
Colombia must attack their opponents from the first whistle and force them into surrendering territory to find space to score goals.
Hence, Gustavo Alfaro’s side will be solid, with wing-backs to give them depth and width in both phases of play.
Nevertheless, Colombia should be too strong for them and their best efforts.
- Colombia 2-0 Costa Rica
