Costa Rica vs Germany: World Cup 2022 Prediction, kick-off time, team news and H2H

Costa Rica will go head-to-head against Germany in the final and decisive third game of the group stage when they take to the Al Bayt Stadium on Thursday.

Costa Rica found itself within one match of a place in the Qatar 2022 round of 16 after a hard-fought win over Japan in the last game.

More celebrations for Costa Rica. AFP

Los Ticos came from that heavy 7-0 loss in the opener against Spain to see off their Asian counterparts 1-0 in the second game to revive their campaign heading into the final game of the group stages.

If Costa Rica gets a draw in this game, it will still qualify for the round of 16 but that's if Spain helps them beat Japan. But a win will certainly guarantee the country a place in the knockout stages.

Conversely, Germany finds itself bottom of the group after taking just one point from six in their first two games.

A trademark NICLAS FULLKRUG goal ensured Germany will fight to the end. AFP

Die Mannschaft lost 2-1 to Japan in the tournament's first game before keeping hope alive with a 1-1 draw against Spain in the final.

Ahead of the final game of the group stage in Group E, the four times World Champions need an outright win to have any chance of making it beyond this stage of the competition.

Head-to-Head

Tomorrow's meeting between Germany and Costa Rica will be only the second match between them.

The previous encounter was at this same stage of the competition back in the 2006 edition in Germany, with Die Mannschaft walking away as comfortable 4-2 winners.

In terms of their respective forms, Germany is one of four European teams without a win after two matches, with Serbia, Wales and Denmark as the others.

Die Mannschaft have also won just one of their last five matches at the World Cup and will be looking to avoid another poor result.

Costa Rica has only just one win in the last six matches at the World Cup, failing to score in four of those games.

Players to watch

Keysher Fuller is the man for Los Ticos after his man-of-the-match performance against Japan in the last game.

Fuller celebrates with his Costa Rican teammates. Pulse

Fuller netted the decisive winner and Costa Ricans will look up to him to provide more inspiration against the Germans.

Jamaal Musiala

While Manuel Neuer is in line for a 19th World Cup appearance which would see him become the goalkeeper to have featured in the most World Cup games, his 19-year-old clubmate, Musiala, is the man to keep an eye on.

Germany's midfielder Jamal Musiala Pulse Nigeria

The forward did everything but score in the last game and looks like he's due for a goal in the competition.

Probable XI

Costa Rica: Navas; Fuller, Duarte, Waston, Calvo, Oviedo; Torres, Borges, Tejeda, Campbell; Contreras

Germany: Neuer; Kehrer, Sule, Rudiger, Raum; Kimmich, Goretzka; Musiala, Gundogan, Gnabry; Muller

Prediction

With just one shot on target in 180 minutes of action in Qatar, Costa Rica could struggle to trouble their more illustrious counterparts, Germany.

The German team pose for a photo before the game with their hands over their mouths suggesting they have been gagged during the FIFA World Cup on November 23, 2022. AFP

While Die Mannschaft will come out blazing in this encounter, looking to avoid an embarrassing exit, they could play into the hands of Los Ticos.

In sum, i still think the Europeans have enough quality to take all three points in this crucial tie.