The team that used to be the best in the world is now hanging on for dear life if they want to stay in the top 10. A team that for many years, nobody cared about, is now the best in CONCACAF and inside the top 15 of the world. Spain and Costa Rica meet this Thursday in Leon, Spain as one team prepares for the Euro Qualifiers and the other one aims to prepare their team for the Gold Cup.
Vicente del Bosque has included many of the players that recently won the treble with Barcelona hoping their momentum helps his team shift what has been going on for almost a year. They were knocked out early from the World Cup and have lost three games since that tournament.
There is some controversy surrounding who will start as the goalkeeper. While Iker Casillas is the regular starter, David de Gea is making a strong push of becoming not only his successor with the national team but also with Real Madrid. The Manchester United goalie has a very good season with the Red Devils adding 14 clean sheets in both the FA Cup and the Premier League.
Since the World Cup, Spain has been perfect in official games that count towards the Euro 2016 Qualifiers. It is in friendly games that Del Bosque can't seem to figure their rivals out. Their post-World Cup losses have come against France, Germany and Netherlands.
The team can't count on Diego Costa nor Andres Iniesta for this game. They are both ruled out with injuries. It is expected that the Spanish manager also decides to give Barcelona's players
Costa Rica has nothing to lose against La Furia Roja and can only add their name to the teams that have beaten Spain in friendly games. Captain Bryan Ruiz knows that the opposing team may not be performing at their best lately, but that is no reason to take the 2010 World Cup Champions lightly.
After a successful World Cup in Brazil where they reached the Quarter-Finals, problems in the dressing room made Jorge Luis Pinto step down as the manager of Los Ticos. His replacement is Carlos
Costa Rica is also in a small crisis, considering it has lost their last two games against Colombia and Panama. While Iker may be on one side, Keylor Navas is expected to return under the posts for the visiting team. Joel Campbell is the go-to man in Costa Rica's attacking line.
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