Overview
Colombia has experienced great disappointment when they missed the 2022 World Cup ticket just because they were only one point behind the play-off position. However, the South American team has returned strongly and officially won the right to participate in the 2026 World Cup.
Under the guidance of coach Nestor Lorenzo, Colombia won 7, drew 7 and only lost 4 in 18 matches of the South American regional qualifiers (CONMEBOL), thereby finishing in third place and winning a ticket to the biggest football festival on the planet.
Lorenzo's team continued to maintain their excitement after the qualifying campaign when they won three victories and one draw in the next 4 friendly matches. However, they entered the upcoming match with a not very positive mentality after two consecutive defeats.
Colombia lost to Croatia 1-2 and France 1-3 in friendly matches in March. Therefore, Lorenzo really wants his players to quickly regain the feeling of victory before entering the 2026 World Cup, where they will be in Group K with Uzbekistan, Congo and Portugal.
Facing Costa Rica is considered a favorable opportunity for Colombia to regain confidence, especially when the opponent has only won one of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
That poor performance is also the reason why Costa Rica could not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The Central American team only won one, drew four and lost one in the CONCACAF regional qualifying campaign, thereby finishing third in Group C and stopping early.
This is only the second time since 2002 that Costa Rica has been absent from the World Cup, after missing out on the 2010 tournament.
After the defeat in the qualifiers, the Costa Rican Football Federation appointed Fernando Batista as head coach. However, this strategist did not have a favorable start when he and the national team drew Jordan 2-2 before suffering a heavy defeat 0-5 against Iran.
Although no longer having a goal to prepare for the World Cup, Costa Rica is certainly still very determined in the upcoming match. Batista especially wants to have his first victory as captain of the national team to lay the foundation for the reconstruction process ahead.
Personnel situation
David Ospina was not present in Colombia's two defeats in March, but this veteran goalkeeper is likely to return to the starting lineup in the upcoming match.
In attack, captain James Rodriguez is expected to take on the role of attacking midfielder behind the center forward. Meanwhile, Luis Suarez is likely to lead the main role after a season of explosion in Sporting Lisbon with 36 goals after 49 appearances in all competitions.
On Costa Rica's side, Fernando Batista is expected to make many changes compared to the squad that lost 0-5 to Iran in March.
Patrick Sequeira is likely to still hold the starting spot, especially as he is the only goalkeeper in the current squad who has ever had experience playing for the national team. In the remaining positions, Costa Rica is predicted to have a series of adjustments to find a breakthrough after their most recent disappointing performance.
Expected lineup:
Ospina, Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica, Rios, Lerma, Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz, Suarez.
Costa Rica: Sequeira, Mitchell, Salazar, Villalobos, Vargas, Araya, Mora, Galo, Soto, Zamora, Alcocer.
The match between Colombia and Costa Rica takes place at 6:00 AM on June 2nd (Vietnam time).
