Preview: Costa Rica vs Suriname – prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Monday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup clash between Costa Rica and Suriname, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Costa Rica and Suriname will open their 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign against each other at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Friday.

Both teams will be eager to start strongly in a group that also includes defending champions Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.

Match preview

Costa Rica earned their place in this tournament by qualifying through the CONCACAF preliminary round, where they emphatically defeated Belize 13-1 on aggregate.

Costa Rica have only failed to feature in one Gold Cup edition since 1985, winning the competition for the third time in 1989, and reaching the final in 2002 to finish as runners-up.

Their last campaign in 2023 ended in an elimination at the quarter-final stage, the same outcome in their two previous campaigns, having last made the semi-finals in 2017.

The return of legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas during recent World Cup qualifiers, an 8-0 away win against Bahamas, offers significant experience and leadership as La Sele aim for stability at the back.

Miguel Herrera’s side have been solid for the most part of 2025, winning all four competitive matches they have played, while they lost the two friendly games against the United States and Catalonia.

Suriname, meanwhile, are making only their fourth-ever appearance in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, having only previously qualified in 1977, 1885 and 2021. 

Natio secured qualification for the 2025 edition by defeating Martinique 2-0 on aggregate in the preliminary playoffs, marking their second qualification for the tournament in four years. 

In their last appearance at the tournament, Suriname were eliminated in the group stage, which was the same outcome in their previous appearance in 1985.

Facing a side such as Costa Rica – who they have never defeated, losing eight and picking up just one draw in nine previous meetings – will be a big test for the Natio as they hope to avoid another group stage exit.

However, coach Stanley Menzo’s team arrive this edition with momentum, having remained unbeaten in their last four matches, with three wins and a draw, with all of them being competitive games.

Costa Rica CONCACAF Gold Cup form:

Costa Rica form (all competitions):

Suriname CONCACAF Gold Cup form:

Suriname form (all competitions):

Team News

Costa Rica will likely lean on their experienced names for this tournament, with goalkeeper Navas once again expected to take his place between the posts after coming out of retirement. 

Jeyland Mitchell and Juan Pablo Vargas should marshal the defence, while Orlando Galo and Josimar Alcocer are key options in midfield

Rising talent Warren Madrigal will be asked to lead the forward line alongside Spartak Moscow forward Manfred Ugalde.

Suriname, on the other hand, also boast several players plying their trade in Europe, with Swedish-based Shaquille Pinas and Russian-based Myenty Abena expected to form the core of the defence.

Dynamo Kyiv loanee Justin Lonwijk will be tasked with creativity behind Gleofilo Vlijter, who is expected to lead the line and shoulder much of the attacking burden for Menzo’s team.

Costa Rica possible starting lineup:

Navas; C. Mora, Mitchell, Vargas, Calvo; Bran, Galo, Alcocer, J. Mora; Madrigal, Ugalde

Suriname possible starting lineup:

Hahn; Boetius, Abena, Pinas, Dijksteel; Montnor, Klas; Rigters, Lonwijk, Turfkruier; Vlijter

We say: Costa Rica 2-1 Suriname

Costa Rica’s experience and superior attacking quality should give them the edge in this encounter, and with Navas providing leadership at the back, La Sele are expected to dominate possession and create chances, edging Suriname in a closely contested opening fixture.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Costa Rica win with a probability of 48.61%. A win for Suriname has a probability of 27.28% and a draw has a probability of 24.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Costa Rica win is 2-1 with a probability of 9.51%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome are 1-0 (9.46%) and 2-0 (7.94%). The likeliest Suriname win is 1-2 (6.79%), while for a drawn scoreline it is 1-1 (11.33%).

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