Group B CONCACAF Gold Cup action continues at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on Saturday, July 11 when El Salvador battles it out with Costa Rica in the second group stage match for each team. El Salvador managed to fight to a 0-0 draw with Canada in their opener on Wednesday, July 8 at the StubHub Center in Carson California, while Costa Rica had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate with Jamaica at the same venue.
2015 Gold Cup Soccer Betting Preview – El Salvador vs Costa Rica
- Pinnacle currently lists Costa Rica as the favorites to win this match at 1.628 with El Salvador at 6.750 and a 90-minute draw at 3.810
El Salvador was probably happy with their point against the Canadians since Canada carved out the majority of the scoring chances. However, when they did create an opportunity they were betrayed by weak shots straight at the goaltender. El Salvador is still right in the mix in Group B since all four teams came out of their first outings on equal footing with a point each. A win here against group favourites will give them an excellent shot at advancing to the tournament’s knockout stage. However, since the Costa Rica vs Jamaica game was played before their encounter with Canada, El Salvador may regret not going all out for the win and taking a stranglehold in the standings.
In the first clash of the night at the StubHub Center, both Costa Rica and Jamaica fought from behind at one point in the contest, but each team ended up throwing away a pair of valuable points. It was a relatively exciting show for the fans though. It might also be seen as some sort of moral victory by Jamaica since they lost all three games in the recent 2015 Copa America tournament by just one goal. Jamaica jumped out an early the lead in the 13th minute courtesy of Garath McCleary. However, Costa Rica came storming back when Roy Miller leveled it at 1-1 in the 33rd minute and David Ramirez put them ahead just four minutes later when he beat goaltender Dwayne Miller.
It didn’t take Jamaica long to tie things up once the second half kicked off tough. Jobi McAnuff scored the equalizer just three minutes into the second stanza when he beat keeper Esteban Alvarado with a left-footed shot just inside the right post. Costa Rica had the best chances to win the contest, but both Miller and Alvarado kept the score level with some fine saves. Costa Rica entered the tournament as favorites to win Group B, but they’ll need to take all three points against El Salvador on Saturday night to prove they’re not overrated.
Costa Rica and El Salvador have met each other 58 times in the past with Costa Rica winning 36 times, losing 12 and drawing the other 10. Costa Rica has also outscored El Salvador 123-53 in those fixtures.
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