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Players from Costa Rica and Poland national teams will be among the first to finish their appearance in this championship. Both teams lost their first matches and did not advance to the knockout stage. The fate of the third place in the group will be decided in these matches.
Hanover - "AWD Arena" stadium Costa Rica - Poland Match start: 17:00 (Lithuanian time) Referee: Shamsul Maidin (Singapore)
Head-to-head matches
Costa Rica and Poland have met three times in friendly matches, with Poland winning all of them. The first match in 1983, which Poland won 3-0, is not considered official. The last time the teams met was in 1990, with Poland celebrating a 2-0 victory.
Team Facts
Costa Rica
This championship is the third for Costa Rica, after their appearances in 1990 and 2002. Four years ago, they also failed to advance to the knockout stage. They finished last - fourth place in the group.
The representatives of Central America have failed to secure a victory in the last four consecutive World Cup matches, losing the last three. The last victory was in the first matches of the 2002 championship against China.
Not once in World Cup history has a Costa Rican player received a red card, and no penalty kick has been awarded in favor of the team.
Poland
Poland failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup only once. It was in 2002, the previous championship. Poland has suffered six defeats in the last seven championship matches. A 3-1 victory was achieved in 2002 against the USA.
Poland has failed to score a goal in seven of the last nine championship matches. If they fail to score against Costa Rica, it will be the first "dry" championship for Poland.
Injured Players
Except for defender Gilberto Martinez, who has already returned home, Costa Rica has no injured players.
In the Polish national team, it is not certain whether Bartosz Bosacki, who suffered an injury during the match with Germany, will play. Mariusz Jop is prepared to replace him.
Opinions
Alexandre Guimaraes, coach of the Costa Rican national team, aims to secure third place in the group. After the defeats in the first matches, the coach of the Central American representatives wants to avoid finishing last in the group.
"We played poorly and didn't show what we are capable of, so now against Poland in the match, we have the opportunity to do something better."
"It will be difficult for both opponents because neither wants to finish last." - Guimaraes spoke about the match.
After the first losses, the coach's fate in the national team is unclear. The coach took responsibility for his team's failure in the championship.
"I lead this national team, and I make decisions. We will draw conclusions after the last match, but without a doubt, conceding seven goals in two matches when we worked so hard on defense is too much." - Guimaraes was disappointed.
Costa Rica's opponents, Poland, will play the last match wanting to regain some honor. Assistant coach Edward Kleindinst said that the team is determined to finish the World Cup strongly. Like their opponents, this will be Poland's last match in this championship.
"We are all disappointed, we thought we could perform differently. The guys really want to win the last match and will give 200% effort. We will do everything to win this match." - Kleindinst spoke about the team's attitude.
It was expected that Poland, together with Germany, would advance to the knockout stage, but they played very poorly in the first match against Ecuador.
Expectations for the match
This World Cup has been unsuccessful for both Costa Rica and Poland. In their last matches in the championship, both teams will strive to prove that they are not deserving of the last place in the group. Players want to leave with their heads held high, so in these matches both teams will fight from the bottom and try to win. It may not be the most beautiful match, but we will see a lot of fighting and determination. The result may also determine the future of both coaches. We hope to see everything both opponents have to offer in the match.
Predicted starting lineups:
Costa Rica: Jose Francisco Porras, Luis Marin, Michael Umana, Harold Wallace, Leonardo Gonzalez, Mauricio Solis, Walter Centeno, Douglas Sequeira, Danny Fonseca, Ronald Gomez, Paulo Wanchope
Poland: Artur Boruc, Marcin Baszczynski, Jacek Bak, Bartosz Bosacki, Michal Zewlakow, Jacek Krzynowek, Arkadiusz Radomski, Miroslaw Szymkowiak, Ireneusz Jelen, Euzebiusz Smolarek, Grzegorz Rasiak
