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In the unlikeliest World Cup second stage game of all, Costa Rica take on Greece with at least one of these games making the quarter final. Costa Rica will play Greece on June 29th, 2014.
Greece got here in the manner that you’d expect – “by a baw hair”, as us Scots would say. They were literally seconds from going out, when Samaras tripped over his own two feet in the box and got a penalty. A crushing penalty for Ivory Coast as Samaras stepped up, slotted it home and Greece were then 2nd in Group C, and qualifying for the next round.
Costa Rica meanwhile, got here in quite shocking fashion. In a group with Uruguay, England and Italy no-one gave them a chance. They were a whopping 50/1 to win the group, yet they did just that managing to beat both Uruguay and Italy, while drawing with England.
What We Learned:
Costa Rica: First of all full credit to Costa Rica, who deserve to be here. But it has to be said that they got lucky. Uruguay were a team who took the lead early and then were absolutely useless when it came to possession, and the Costa Ricans were able to get the breaks. Against Italy, the Italians played an extremely flat 4-1-4-1 formation that pretty much a pub team could have beat. We saw a truer form of Costa Rica against England, with the English dominating them but unable to get the ball in the back of the net. Costa Rica did have a couple of chances though.
Greece: We already knew the Greeks were strong defensively, and they showed it against Japan. Going down to 10 men they held up in ridiculous fashion despite the Japanese completely dominating possession. They did fairly well against Ivory Coast and when they needed to attack they did so – even if their finishing was weak, and some of the play in the final 3rd was shocking.
Costa Rica vs Greece Betting Odds:
Costa Rica To Win: 6/4
Draw: 11/5
Greece To Win:11/5
Over 2.5 Goals: 17/10
Under 2.5 Goals: 4/9
The best odds for Costa Rica vs Greece are.
Costa Rica vs Greece Betting Tips:
Neither of these teams will be winning the World Cup, nor will they be expecting anything like that.
I’d love to say that in a situation like this, where both teams didn’t expect to even be here at this stage, that they would both “go for it”. Just throw it all out there offensively. But I just can’t see it. I’ve seen situations like this time and time again, and the teams usually just want to hang on as long as possible.
I’d love to be positive and say bet Over 2.5 goals. Hey, who knows, right? Plus Costa Rica have looked good in attack at times. But man – at those odds it’s not worth it.
With both teams looking to hang on, I’d say bet the draw. Our simulations agree – although the odds are a tad tight, it’s probably the best bet to make.
Costa Rica vs Greece Betting Props:
Have to go with 0-0 on this one at the end of 90 minutes. 11/2 odds on that is a steal honestly.
