A victory on Thursday would be enough for Canada to punch their ticket to World Cup 2022 when they battle Costa Rica at Estadio National de Costa Rica in San Jose.

With three qualifying fixtures remaining, Los Ticos are in fifth, a point behind Panama for a place in the inter-confederation playoffs, while The Canucks are the only team unbeaten in the Octagon, leading the table with 25 points.

Match preview

One victory in the first half of 2022 qualifying was hardly the start that many had expected from a Costa Rican side, who have made four trips to the finals in their previous five campaigns.

To his credit, though, Luis Fernando Suarez has rejuvenated this veteran group, who come into this contest unbeaten in four consecutive fixtures since a 1-0 defeat to Canada last November.

As a result, this experienced side remain in the hunt for a third successive trip to the World Cup, but there is still work to do as they sit five points behind Mexico for third and a guaranteed place in Qatar later this year.

In what was an inconsistent series of performances for this team in their first seven qualifiers, perhaps the one constant throughout this campaign has been how well-organised Los Ticos have been.

They may lack some creativity moving forward, but they rarely allow many clear-cut scoring opportunities, posting five clean sheets in this qualifying round.

Taking care of business on your home field at this stage of the competition is paramount if you want to make it to the World Cup, and La Tricolor have given their fans a lot to cheer about over the past few years, suffering only one defeat in Costa Rica since 2014.

Historically they have also fared well at home against Les Rouges, losing only once in a friendly in 1993 and conceding a mere two goals in all of their matches played against them in the Central American republic.

They entered the Octagon as the minnows of CONCACAF, but at the moment, John Herdman and the Canadians are the big fish in this region that no one seem to be able to catch.

Canada began 2021 as the 72nd ranked team in the world, but over the next 12 months, they gained 130.32 points in the FIFA ranking system and were named the "Most Improved Side" to end the year.

Currently seeded as high as they have ever been (33), the Canucks ended the previous qualifying window with a 100% record, shutting out Honduras, the USA and El Salvador, each time by a 2-0 score.

It has been 36 long years since this nation participated at the FIFA World Cup, but unlike the side that competed in Mexico in 1986, these players have flourished at club level, with many featuring for high-profile squads across Europe.

The Canucks have suffered through their share of injuries in the Octagon, although when you look at their results, it is clear that this is a team loaded with talent and depth at every position, capable of beating opposing sides in various ways.

If there is a criticism that you can give them, it could be the fact that they tend to invite a lot of pressure into their own third of the field and have rarely out possessed their opponents over 90 minutes.

While making it to Qatar is clearly the main objective, finishing without a defeat in the Octagon would be quite an achievement for this team.

Should Canada be able to avoid defeat in their final three qualifiers, it would mark the first time since the 1998 World Cup campaign that a CONCACAF side (Mexico) went through the final qualification stage unbeaten.

Team News

In February, Joel Campbell was the hero as his second-half strike helped Costa Rica earn a valuable three points on the road against Jamaica, and the Monterrey striker needs just one more goal for the national team to tie Jorge Hernan Monge for eighth all-time.

Captain Bryan Ruiz has a chance to move into second place in career appearances for Los Ticos should he see the field on Thursday, as the attacking midfielder is tied with Walter Centeno for that mark (137 caps), while Celso Borges leads all Costa Ricans with 145 international caps.

Francisco Calvo is off to a good start domestically, leading his club side, the San Jose Earthquakes, with two goals, while Douglas Lopez and Daniel Chacon are hoping to see their first action for La Sele.

An error by Leonel Moreira cost the Costa Ricans a point in their previous match versus Canada last year, as they failed to score for a second successive encounter against Les Rouges.

Keylor Navas is likely to start in goal instead of Moreira, with the Paris Saint-Germain keeper collecting his 100th cap for the senior side in their 1-0 win over the Reggae Boyz.

Alphonso Davies remains sidelined for Canada, as the Bayern Munich wing-back is still recovering from a minor case of myocarditis.

Samuel Piette is out with an ankle injury, David Wotherspoon continues to nurse an ACL issue, while Cristian Gutierrez and Ismael Kone were called-up to the senior side for the first time.

Cyle Larin, the all-time leading goalscorer for The Canucks with 23 international goals, has tallied six times domestically for Besiktas in Turkey, while Lille striker Jonathan David is nipping at his heels, scoring his 20th goal for Canada in their 2-0 win over El Salvador last month and notching the only strike in their previous victory over Los Ticos.

In February, Canadian skipper Atiba Hutchinson notched the winner in San Salvador, the ninth of his international career, after overtaking Julian de Guzman to become the most capped player in the history of this program.

The Besiktas midfielder needs eight more caps internationally to reach 100 for his career, while Richie Laryea has yet to feature in the EFL Championship since transferring to Nottingham Forrest in January.

Costa Rica possible starting lineup:
Navas; Oviedo, Calvo, Waston, Matarrita, Fuller; Leal, Tejeda, Borges, Torres; Campbell

Canada possible starting lineup:
Borjan; Adekugbe, Vitoria, Johnston; Osorio, Eustaquio; Buchanan, Hutchinson, Hoilett; Larin, David

We say: Costa Rica 0-1 Canada

The Canadians look like a team of destiny, and although they have benefitted from their share of goalkeeping blunders in the Octagon, this group always appear comfortable and composed, even without Alphonso Davies.

Costa Rica have done well to fight their way back into the qualifying picture, but as solid as they are defensively, it is hard to imagine this veteran group being capable of staying with the speedy and youthful Canadians for an entire match.

Previews by email