Saudi Arabia Vs Costa Rica Premier League Football Match 2023
Saudi Arabia will host Costa Rica in a friendly duel scheduled for Friday, September 8th. With that in mind, we have prepared a preview of this match for you, along with the latest betting picks for it.
After four losses in a row, Saudi Arabian Football Association decided it is time to make a coaching change and after a summer of Saudi Arabian clubs signing big names, now their national team did the same as they brought Roberto Mancini to the helm. The Italian has a lot of experience as a manager and many trophies won, so this seems to be a good move for Saudi Arabia as they try to further establish themselves as a football nation.
Just like Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica also struggled in recent matches, notching just one win in their last five games. This marked a disappointing performance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Costa Rica will be hoping to bounce back from this poor form as the next round of World Cup Qualifiers looms closer. Since we can see Saudi Arabia winning this match, our player to watch comes from their side and it is their experienced winger Salem Al-Dawsari, who plays for Al Hilal.
With 76 appearances for Saudi Arabia, Al-Dawsari is among the most experienced players at the team and on top of that, he is currently in good form after scoring four goals in five games for Al Hilal in Saudi Pro League so far. Saudi Arabia were left empty handed once again as they fell to a 2-1 loss against Bolivia at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.
The Green have now lost their last four matches across all competitions, including successive defeats to Iraq and Oman in the Gold Cup. Roberto Mancini has been tasked with preparing Saudi Arabia for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup and the former Italy boss will be looking to begin his stint on a winning note.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, suffered a quarter-final exit from the 2023 Gold Cup as they fell to a 2-0 loss against Mexico last time out. Prior to that, Los Ticos picked up a 6-4 victory over Martinique on July 5 which saw them snap their five-game winless run and finish as runners-up in Group C of the Gold Cup.
Costa Rica head into the weekend unbeaten in three of their last four away matches, claiming two wins and one draw since November 2022.
With three wins from the previous four meetings between the sides, Costa Rica boast a superior record in the history of this fixture.Saudi Arabia have managed one win in that time, which came in September 1993, when they beat Los Ticos 3-1 at the Prince Mohd Aziz.Costa Rica are winless in six of their last seven matches, losing five and picking up one draw since late March.Saudi Arabia have lost their last four matches in all competitions, conceding eight goals and scoring four since January’s 2-0 victory over Yemen. While Saudi Arabia and Costa Rica will be playing for pride, we expect a thrilling contest at St. James’ Park nonetheless. We predict both sides will cancel out each other’s efforts and settle for a share of the spoils.
