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Saprissa vs Herediano Prediction & Betting tips
What do Germany and Costa Rica have in common? At first glance, there are hardly any similarities worth mentioning between the Federal Republic of Europe and the small country with 5 million inhabitants in Central America. In the current times, however, the two national championships are considered the great pioneers after the global crisis.
Germany was the first European top league to resume play last weekend. The championship in Nicaragua has now ended in Central America, and this week the kick-off will sound in Costa Rica’s top division. At the end of the first game day after the restart, fans can look forward to a real treat. Leader Saprissa welcomes Herediano, the title holder of the Apertura season.
The highest league in Costa Rica includes twelve teams, the season is divided into two parts – Apertura and Clausura. First of all, a basic round with 22 games is on the program before the play-offs start. In the current Clausura championship, 15 games were played before the two-month break, so that seven games are still outstanding.
A look at the table shows that Saprissa is relatively clearly in the first place and can already plan with the play-off participation. The defending champion, on the other hand, still urgently needs to be counted given a lead of just four points to fifth. The game starts in the night from Wednesday to Thursday at 3 a.m.
Saprissa:
Saprissa is not a city in Costa Rica, but the football club was named after a certain Ricardo Saprissa, who was the first shirt sponsor at the club founded in 1935. The team is based in the province of San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. The club has been first class since 1949 and because of its longstanding dominance it has been nicknamed “El monstruo morado” – the purple monster. 34 championships have been celebrated to date, most recently in the Clausura Championship 2018.
The record champion has been pursuing a clear philosophy for many years and almost exclusively trusts local players. A look at the squad composition shows that there are only a few legionaries in the team. There are currently only three foreign players in the squad of head coach Walter Centeno, the 45-year-old slipped on the national jersey 137 times as an active player.
The best local players who don’t dare to jump overseas are said to be under contract with the purple monster. The 34-time champion currently has seven active national players. Despite the long break, Saprissa continues to be unable to draw on personnel. Goalkeeper Briceno (shoulder injury), midfielder Hadden and striker Ramirez are out due to injuries.
The Bundesliga matchday last weekend showed that the long break naturally left its mark and that top-level football is not yet to be seen everywhere. Nevertheless, a look at the performance before the forced break is recommended. It can be seen that Saprissa was particularly strong at home. Saprissa played seven home games in the current Clausura round, five of which were won. In the remaining two games, the Centeno eleven drew.
Outstanding player in the current second half is oldie Christian Bolanos. The now 36-year-old former European legionnaire (FC Copenhagen) has scored twelve goals in 13 games. His individual class and the existing home strength are strong arguments that speak in the night from Wednesday to Thursday between Saprissa and Herediano for the tip on the home win.
Herediano:
Football can sometimes be so unfair. A finding that is by no means new, but is absolutely correct when you look at the first round championship in Costa Rica. In the Apertura season, Alajuelense confidently took first place with 52 points in 22 games. However, the club lost the championship in the subsequent play-offs and in the grand final.
Herediano had to win two knockout games against Alajuelense to fix the first round championship. The first knockout duel was won with a total score of 2-0, the grand final was not for the faint of heart. It was only in minute 87 that Herediano forced extra time in the return game and kept the upper hand in the penalty shootout and thus celebrated the 29th title win in the club’s history.
The strong form from autumn was also preserved in the new calendar year and none of the first 14 games in the basic round of the second half was lost. The only flaw in this outstanding series is the fact that Herediano only drew in eight of the 14 games.
Just before the forced break, however, the nimbus of invincibility was lost. The defeat on March 16 definitely fell into the “sensational” category. Herediano had home rights against the previous bottom Limon, but had to surrender 0-1. With a 6-8-1 record, the reigning champions are now seven points behind their long-standing rival Saprissa.
A look at the season results so far shows huge differences between the home and away games. In eight home games, fans were offered offensive football par excellence, with no fewer than 35 goals (22:13).
The away games in this year’s Clausura Championship are completely opposite. In the seven previous guest appearances, only seven goals (5: 2) were scored.
Saprissa vs Herediano head to head matches
26.01.20 PD Herediano Saprissa 4 : 1
01.12.19 PD Saprissa Herediano 1 : 2 (1 : 1)
24.11.19 PD Herediano Saprissa 1 : 1
27.10.19 PD Saprissa Herediano 2 : 1
13.10.19 PD Herediano Saprissa 4 : 0