**Costa Rica rolls in as heavy favorites—Curaçao's looking to bounce back from a humbling 7-1 drubbing, but the Ticos have their own form issues to sort.** 🔴

Costa Rica's winless streak (0-5-2) is rough, but they've got the H2H edge and should be fresher than a Curaçao squad still reeling from that Germany demolition. This is a Nations League opener—prime chance for both to reset, though only one is built for it.

Key storylines:

- **Keylor Navas** anchors a Costa Rican backline that's been porous; shutouts are the priority here
- **Jaïr Bacuna** and **Leandro Bacuna** will run midfield for Curaçao but face relentless pressure from **Óyvin Galo** and company
- Costa Rica's missing key bodies up top (**Álvaro Martínez**, **Christian Núñez**), so **Manfred Ugalde** and **Luis Flores** need to deliver

Expected lineups:

- **Costa Rica**: K. Navas, J. Vargas, F. Calvo, J. Mitchell, J. Alcócer, C. Mora, O. Galo, B. Aguilera, L. Flores, M. Ugalde, K. Vargas
- **Curaçao**: E. Room, S. Floranus, A. Obispo, J. Gaari, S. Sambo, L. Comenencia, J. Bacuna, L. Bacuna, K. Gorré, J. Locadia, S. Hansen

Prediction:

**Costa Rica 2-0 Curaçao** — Ticos lean on home form and superior depth to grind out a confidence-builder. ⚽