Costa Rica vs Martinique

Red Bull Arena is the venue as Costa Rica and Martinique lock horns in a ‘make or break’ 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C encounter.

Despite being the highest-ranked FIFA nation in Group C, Costa Rica could be staring down the barrel of only a second-ever group-stage elimination at the Gold Cup after a sluggish two-game winless start (D1, L1). After a 2-1 loss to Panama on the opening matchday, ‘Los Ticos’ failed to score in a tepid 0-0 draw against El Salvador last time out, meaning anything other than a win here would crash them out of the competition. However, the Costa Ricans boast a flawless four-game H2H record against upcoming rivals Martinique (W4), including a pair of two-goal margin victories at the Gold Cup. But since their most recent meeting at the tournament dates back to 2002, those stats are meaningless. What does matter is that Luis Fernando Suarez’s men come into proceedings winless in their last five internationals (D1, L4).

Meanwhile, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Panama on Gameweek 2 undid Martinique’s identical triumph over El Salvador in a curtain-raising contest, leaving their qualification hopes in limbo. However, the math is simple for Martinique – avoiding defeat would secure their place in the Gold Cup quater-finals for only the second time in their history, with their only previous knockout appearance dating back to 2002. Keen to avenge a 2-1 H2H defeat back in March, ‘Les Matinino’ must swim against the tide to achieve one of the most standout achievements in the island’s history. Head coach Marc Collat has to reignite the team’s morale after the abovementioned loss to Panama knocked his men down from a three-match winning streak.