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CanWNT vs Costa Rica Predictions: Rematch on Saturday

CanWNT Forward Jordyn Huitema in the CanWNT vs Costa Rica Game

The CanWNT vs Costa Rica game will be a rematch of Wednesday’s game. Canada finished the group stage of the Concacaf W Gold Cup as the top seed while Costa Rica sneaked in as the eighth seed and earned one of the best two third-place finishers in the group stage.

CanWNT vs Costa Rica Predictions: A Rematch of Wednesday’s Game

CanWNT (5-0-0)

The CanWNT are in perfect form, winning in their last six games. Even more impressive though was the ability to keep a clean sheet. Since that 4-0 loss to Australia in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Canada has not given up more than one goal in any of their games.

This is what CanWNT head coach, Beverly Priestman, said about being one of the favourites of the Concacaf W Gold Cup:

“Absolutely, I think we have that level of pressure and standards on ourself. And every day, whether it be I’ve said this before, from like a passing pattern, right the way through to a set-play practice. We really challenged the group now on everything we do matters.”

Of course, Canada still has a long way to go. The knockout stages are coming up and one misstep could mean Canada gets eliminated from the competition. However, as of right now, the focus should be on their quarter-final game against Costa Rica. A team they had just beaten on Wednesday.

Costa Rica (3-0-2)

Their last five games might be misleading, as they have lost two of their three games in the Concacaf W Gold Cup. A draw of lots had to be done to determine whether they or Puerto Rico would advance to the quarter-finals since both teams were tied in all the other tie breakers. La Sele Femenina won the toss and will now face Canada again.

That 2-0 win against El Salvador is what saved the Costa Ricans. Also, in the 3-0 loss to Canada, the CanWNT had some other big scoring chances. If they converted one more of those, La Sele Femenina would be out of the tournament.

However, all of that does not matter now. In what has been a bit of a disappointing tournament for La Sele Femenina, there is still some hope that the team can turn it around. A win against Canada would be able to able to change that.

READ MORE: The CanWNT Concacaf W Gold Cup Roster Revealed

Head-To-Head

READ MORE: Three Takeaways: The CanWNT Set Pieces Helps Them Earn Win

The CanWNT just recently beat Costa Rica last Wednesday. Expect a stiffer competition though for the quarter-finals. This is because facing the same team twice in less than a week creates its own types of challenges. However, it is important to note that Cloé Lacasse did not play on Wednesday, which will be a big problem for Costa Rica to deal with.

In the last 12 meetings, Canada has won 11 of them and Costa Rica only once. That win for La Sele Femenina happened in the 2015 Women’s Pan Am Games against Canada. Since then, however, Canada has won seven straight games, including the one on Wednesday.

Players to Watch

READ MORE: Cloé Lacasse: A Rising Star With the CanWNT

For Canada, Lacasse will be an X-Factor. The fact that she did not play on Wednesday means that Costa Rica may not be as familiar with her game as with other players on the women’s national team roster. In particular, her ability to create scoring chances for her teammates is something the Costa Ricans must be aware of.

Leon is obviously another player to highlight as she leads the team in goals and has assisted or scored a goal in all three of her games. Besides Leon, Jessie Fleming, Jordyn Huitema, and Kadeisha Buchanan are also players to watch. Fleming is the captain of the CanWNT, Buchanan is known as a stellar defender, and Huitema played well against Costa Rica on Wednesday.

Rocky “Raquel” Rodriguez is the player to watch for Canada. The all-time leading goal-scorer for La Sele Femenina had the only shot on goal against Canada on Wednesday. She is a prolific goal-scorer, who will try to make things difficult for Canada. This is how Rodriguez would describe herself and her game (source: FIFA):

“Well, I think the player that I was in 2015, compared to the one I am now, was very different. At that the time, I wasn’t even professional – I was still at university. Now, with the eight years of experience that I’ve amassed, I think I’ve become a much more complete, more intelligent footballer. I think I understand the game better now.”

Rodriguez currently plays professionally in the NWSL with Angel City FC. Another player to watch for is Priscila Chinchilla, who plays with Pachuca in Liga MX Femenil. Chinchilla scored both of Costa Rica’s goals against El Salvador, with her first goal being assisted by Rodriguez. Canada will need to be aware of these two teams for tomorrow’s game.

How to Watch Tomorrow’s Quarter-Final Matchup

Predictions: CanWNT 2 – Costa Rica 0

READ MORE: The CanWNT Concacaf W Gold Cup Roster Revealed

Playing the same team twice in such a short period of time will make this game harder for Canada. However, at the same time, Canada is on a roll right now and Lacasse did not play in Wednesday’s game against Costa Rica. Expect them to potentially clinch another clean sheet and defeat Costa Rica once again.

Costa Rica will play against the CanWNT on Saturday at 7:00 PM ET. That game will take place at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The winner of that game will face either USWNT or Colombia in the semi-finals. That other quarter-finals game will take place on Sunday at 8:15 PM ET, also at BMO Stadium.

To watch the CanWNT tomorrow, it will be shown live on OneSoccer, as well as Telus and FuboTV Inc.

 

Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports, of a Jordyn Huitema Headshot and a Raquel Rodriguez Headshot on February 28, 2024.

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