Argentina vs Costa Rica Prediction

Argentina's form dwarfs Costa Rica's

Argentina have won 17 of their last 20 matches, drawing once and losing twice, scoring 54 goals in that run. Three of those wins came in October alone, beating Benin, Burkina Faso and Bolivia by a combined 14-0. Their two defeats in that sample came against England and Jordan during the World Cup, so even the losses were against strong opposition.

Argentina: 20 completed matches; Costa Rica: 20 completed matches.

Argentina

20 matches

Win

85% 17 / 20

Draw

5% 1 / 20

Loss

10% 2 / 20

Scored

54

Conceded

12

Difference

+42

Costa Rica

20 matches

Win

35% 7 / 20

Draw

35% 7 / 20

Loss

30% 6 / 20

Scored

37

Conceded

32

Difference

+5

Costa Rica's record over a similar sample is far more mixed: seven wins, seven draws and six losses. They've shown they can score goals, including an 8-0 win away at Bahamas, but they've also shipped heavy defeats, losing 5-0 at home to Iran and 4-3 to Curaçao. That inconsistency makes them harder to read than Argentina.

On paper there's a big gap in current form, though both sides have faced some weaker opposition along the way.

Comparative Team Statistics: Argentina vs Costa Rica

Not much history to lean on

There's only one recorded meeting between these two in this data, a friendly from March 2024 that Argentina won 3-1. That's over two and a half years old now, and both squads will have changed a fair bit since then.

It's too thin and too old a sample to carry much weight for this fixture.

Discipline notes rather than full team news

There isn't a complete injury picture available, but the player data shows Argentina's V. Barco and Costa Rica's F. Faerrón have each picked up two yellow cards in their last three appearances. That's worth watching if either starts, given how close they are to a ban, though it doesn't say much about who else might feature on the day.

Argentina:

Penalty cards:

V. Barco x 2

Costa Rica:

Penalty cards:

F. Faerrón x 2

Context worth remembering

This fixture is a friendly, set a month beyond the date these figures were gathered, so neither manager's final selection is locked in. Argentina have been rotating heavily through October and scoring freely against lower-ranked sides, while Costa Rica have swung between big wins and big losses depending on the opponent. That combination makes it tricky to say how seriously either side will treat this one when it arrives.