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Group E is headlined by Brazil, with the three teams battling for second place being Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.
Switzerland and Serbia are the two teams expected to battle for second place however Costa Rica have expectations too and any of the three can probably make it.
The Group opens on Sunday, June 17th with Costa Rica vs Serbia and every game will be crucial.
Serbia qualified by winning Group D in the UEFA qualification. It was a tricky group with Wales, Austria and the Republic of Ireland and they qualified with 6 wins and 3 draws in 10 games.
Costa Rica qualified in the CONCACAF Fifth Round as runners up. The highlight of that qualification was a 4-0 thumping of the USA. They also held their own against Mexico although funnily enough really struggled against freaking Panama of all times. And luck had to be on their side throughout with that 95th minute goal against Honduras for a draw.
Serbia vs Costa Rica Betting Odds:
Serbia To Win: 1.95
Costa Rica To Win: 4.00
Draw: 3.30
(Odds on this page are correct as of 2018/06/10 10:01:08 PM EST but are subject to change)
Serbia Analysis:
Serbia missed out on the 2014 World Cup, Euro 2012 and Euro 2016 so they’ll be excited just to be here.
They have Mladen Krstajic on charge now who took over in October and he uses a 4-2-3-1. However they will be missing Nastasic which is tough.
Midfield is where they are strongest with the likes of Demanja Matic and Dusan Tadic.
Their defense might struggle a bit when they go up against sides with a lot of pace. However they do still have solid defenders and I really rate Dusko Tosic highly.
It’s going to be interesting and with the group being top heavy with Brazil, Serbia might be able to get some scrappy points and qualify.
Costa Rica Analysis:
Costa Rica rely heavily on a tight defense and then counter attacking football. We saw how that worked out for them in 2014 and I expect to see similar here.
Of course their real problem is if they concede as they rely way too heavily on that counter attacking. I don’t think they have the fire power or creativity up front to break down teams.
They pulled off multiple upsets in the 2014 World Cup. Can they do it again?
Serbia vs Costa Rica Betting Tips:
I’m thinking Serbia know this is a game they have to win and they push up. However their defense I think will struggle hard against Costa Rica and their pace.
I’m almost tempted to go with a Costa Rica win but instead I’m going to go with 3 units on Costa Rica or Draw. I think they are more than a match for the Serbians.
Bet that at https://www.Bovada.lv.
