Football Bet of the Day: La Roja to run riot

Spain v Costa Rica
Women's World Cup
Tuesday June 09, 21:00
Live on British Eurosport 2

We started the week in Argentina, and picked up a hefty kick in the teeth. We layed the hosts Tigre at evens, and in the fourth minute of stoppage time the scores were level at 1-1. Heartbreakingly, our boys Aldosivi conceded a penalty, which sparked several minutes of disgraceful haranguing of the ref. In the seventh minute of added time, Carlos Luna swept home the spot-kick, and swept away our hopes of a winner.

That one's gonna sting for a while, but let's ease our minds with a trip to Canada. It's high time we paid a visit to the Women's World Cup, and the match I've chosen for us is Spain against Costa Rica.

The Ticos of Costa Rica worked wonders at the World Cup in Brazil by reaching the quarter-finals, but their female counterparts aren't expected to achieve a similar feat. The Ticas (see what they did there?) have never previously qualified for the WWC, and they have lost their last five friendlies leading up to the tournament.

Costa Rica do have some quality players. Midfielder Shirley Cruz Trana played in the recent Champions League final for PSG, while 21-year-old striker Raquel Rodriguez shows promise. However, this is a huge step up for Amelia Valverde's team, and a 6-0 battering at the hands of the USA in last year's Gold Cup final shows where they are at in their development.

Spain are also playing in the WWC for the first time, but they have greater pedigree. They beat England 3-2 at the Euros in 2013, eventually exiting at the quarter-final stage. Since that knockout defeat to Norway, La Roja have lost just one of their last 16 games. Years of dedication to youth development are finally starting to pay off, and qualification was a big reward for long-serving coach Ignacio Quereda, who has been at the helm since 1988.

Given Costa Rica's poor results leading up to this tournament, and Spain's greater quality, I'm expecting a comfortable Spanish win. The market agrees, as Spain are 1.211/5 to win, and 1.491/2 to be leading at both half-time and full-time.

I like the 2.1211/10 on offer for Over 3.5 Goals. Ten of Spain's last 21 games have featured at least four goals, and they dished out some spectacular spankings in qualification, putting a total of 33 goals past Macedonia and Estonia without reply over the course of four games. FFC Frankfurt midfielder Veronica Boquete is the team's best player, and should impose herself on proceedings.

With harder tests to come against Brazil and South Korea, Spain know they must make a strong start, and it's worth noting that Costa Rica have leaked nine goals in their last four matches. This is a very young and inexperienced Costa Rican squad, and they could collapse if they make a poor start.

Recommended Bet
Back Over 3.5 Goals at 2.1211/10