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Odds: Scotland Evens, Draw 11/5, Costa Rica 29/10
Kick Off: 1945, 23/03/2018
Stadium: Hampden Park
TV: Sky Sports
Alex McLeish has a score to settle with Costa Rica as he prepares to begin his second stint as Scotland boss with Friday night’s international friendly.
McLeish was part of the Scotland team which fell to a 1-0 defeat against the Central American side at the 1990 World Cup in Italy in their only previous encounter.
However, we think revenge is on the cards and are snapping up Evens for a home win at Hampden Park in our Scotland vs Costa Rica betting predictions.
A Look At Scotland’s Betting Odds
Scotland showed plenty of promise during the qualifying campaign for Russia 2018, before eventually being denied second place behind England in Group F by Slovakia on goal difference.
Five wins and a 2-2 draw with the Three Lions in Glasgow gave the Tartan Army something to cheer about, but Gordon Strachan still opted to pass the baton on.
McLeish will bid to build on that solid platform and assistant coach James McFadden insists getting off to a fast start would be a big boost.
“We want to go and excite people, win games and get that belief back,” he said. “I have sat here as a player talking about believing we could win and I truly did believe.
“I think we need to get back to that, to really believing that we can achieve something special here – and I think we can.”
This is an inexperienced Scotland squad, so a few early nerves can be expected, but we feel they have the talent to open up as the game goes on.
Looking at the Scotland vs Costa Rica odds, the value lies with 15/4 for a draw at half-time and then the hosts to prevail.
A Look At Costa Rica’s Betting Odds
Costa Rica qualified for this summer’s World Cup by finishing second in their CONCACAF group, trailing Mexico by five points but eclipsing Panama, Honduras and the USA.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the most recognisable name in Oscar Ramirez’s squad, but there are other proven performers.
Sporting Lisbon forward Bryan Ruiz and Deportivo midfielder Celso Borges both have over a century of caps.
Celtic’s Cristian Gamboa and fellow defender Bryan Oviedo, of Sunderland, didn’t have far to go to link up with their international teammates.
However, Costa Rica did not travel well when taking part in two friendlies in Europe last November, being thrashed 5-0 in Spain and then going down 1-0 in Hungary.
Those results make 39/20 for a home win to nil tempting enough to feature in our Scotland vs Costa Rica betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
SCOTLAND 0-1 Holland
Hungary 1-0 COSTA RICA
Head-to-head: Costa Rica 1-0 Scotland
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