Both teams will have important absences not only for this game, but for the rest of the tournament as well. Considering Colombia and the United States are the clear favorites to advance to the knockout stages, this match appears as a pivotal contest if La Albirroja and Los Ticos want to have any chance to get past the group stage on U.S. soil.
Costa Rica Team News & Analysis
Oscar Ramirez knows the strength of the team relies on the more experienced players, so Bryan Ruiz, Celso Borges and Joel Campbell will be in charge of creative work upfront for the CONCACAF side. The attacking duo of Álvaro Saborío and Marco Ureña is pretty important as well, but Costa Rica will only go as far as the aforementioned trio can carry them.
Bryan Ruiz will be key for Costa Rica in the 2016 Copa America Centenario.
Ramirez, however, won’t have his best player available for the tournament after Keylor Navas arrived to the training camp with an injury. Navas won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid last week, and his absence will undoubtedly weaken a side that’s not known for their defensive strength. Navas’ place will be taken by Patrick Pemberton, but it’s not a secret that the Alajuelense keeper is not on Keylor’s level.
Speaking of the defense, one player worth watching is Ronald Matarrita. The New York City FC defender has been one of the surprises in MLS this season, and his ability to attack and defend with equal ease on the left side of the pitch will be an important weapon for the team.
Paraguay Team News & Analysis
One might argue that Costa Rica will be more affected by absences solely because they won’t have Navas, but reality indicates that Paraguay also has a few absences that could complicate their future in the tournament if they are not replaced properly.
Three regular starters such as Richard Ortiz, Nestor Ortigoza and Pablo Aguilar are ruled out for the tournament. Meanwhile, former Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios declined the Copa call-up to focus on winning a spot in Palmeiras’ regular starting XI. Barrios is rather eyeing participation in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Dario Lezcano will be one of Paraguay's most dangerous weapons on offense in the upcoming tournament.
Despite the absences, manager Ramon Diaz has assembled a strong team with several interesting players. Derlis Gonzalez and Edgar Benitez will add creativity and pace in midfield, while attackers Dario Lezcano, Jorge Benitez and Nelson Haedo Valdez have featured regularly for the National Team in recent years. The defense, on the other hand, features a natural leader in Paulo da Silva while veteran goalkeeper Justo Villar will open the tournament as the starter between the posts.
Which channel is broadcasting Costa Rica vs Paraguay live on TV or online?
If you can't make it to the States, don't worry because we've got you covered! You can watch this 2016 Copa America Centenario match in each of the following countries across the globe either on TV or streamed online, but if you do not live in any of those, no worries. Simply visit the Costa Rica vs Paraguay match page and check the time and channels appearing on your screen. Both are geo-localized as per your device's time and date settings.
- In USA at 5pm ET on Fox Soccer 2GO USA, fuboTV, Univision USA, FOX Network, Fox Sports GO, Univision Deportes USA
- In Canada at 5pm ET on Univision Canada
- In UK at 22:00 hrs BST on Premier Sports
- In Costa Rica at 15:00 hrs on Repretel En Vivo
- In Paraguay at 17:00 hrs on Tigo Sports Paraguay, Telefuturo
*Note: These live broadcast listings are subject to change
Costa Rica vs Paraguay head-to-head and top facts to know
• Both sides have played 8 games in total, with three wins for each team and two draws.
• This will be the first time these two teams play a game on U.S. soil.
• The last time these two sides played was on March 26th, 2015 and that game ended with a scoreless draw.
• Costa Rica will participate in the Copa America for the fifth time. Their best result came in 2001 and 2004 when they reached the quarterfinals.
• Paraguay, on the other hand, has won the tournament twice: 1953 and 1979.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
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