This Friday brings a perfect sports betting international opportunity. The CONCACAF Gold Cup will continue its action as we head into the weekend, giving online soccer betting fans a reason to bet on international sports.
Looking Over CONCACAF Gold Cup Matches
The United States will be playing host to this year’s tournaments and there are a couple of key matches that online soccer betting players will want to keep an eye out for.
The action begins this Friday with French Guana facing off against Canada at 5:00 pm. This will kick off the Gold Cup’s action as well as Group A. Group A is made up of the aforementioned countries alongside Costa Rica and Honduras. Honduras will face the Ticos later on this Friday to help determine the group’s rankings.
Group B is made up of the United States, Panama, Nicaragua, and Martinique. Group B’s action will kick off this Saturday with the US facing off against Panama in the afternoon followed by an evening contest between Martinique and Nicaragua.
Group C features Mexico, El Salvador, Jamaica and Curacao. Sports betting international fans won’t be able to see Group C face off until this Sunday when Curacao takes on Jamaica in the evening. That contest will be followed by a pairing between Mexico and El Salvador.
So, now that we’ve taken a look at the groups and their respective kickoff matches, let’s break down Friday’s matchup between Costa Rica and Honduras by looking at what the soccer odds are predicting.
CONCACAF Gold Cup – Costa Rica vs. Honduras – Friday, July 7th
When: 9:00 pm ET
Where: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
Series: Group Stage
TV: Fox Sports 2
Stream: Fox Sports Go
Sports Betting International Odds:
Costa Rica -½ (+125) 2 (+103) +125
Honduras +½ (-140) 2 (-118) +293
Costa Rica/Honduras +207
Costa Rica
Alongside Mexico and the United States, Costa Rica is one of the online soccer betting favorites to win the 2017 Gold Cup. Costa Rica has never won the Gold Cup, but they were runner-ups in 2002. However, accounting for the strength of the Ticos’ roster, along with their international experience and growing star power, there’s plenty of reasons to pick Costa Rica over Honduras.
Here’s a little taste of their international experience. Bryan Ruiz plays for Sporting CP and Joel Campbell makes his money competing for Arsenal. On the back line they’ve got Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland), Cristian Gamboa (Celtic), and Michael Umana (CS Cartagines).
We have yet to mention the Ticos’ biggest star, Keylor Navas. Unfortunately for Costa Rica, Navas will be taking some time off after an excruciating season with Real Madrid. Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense) will likely get the start at keeper in his place.
Honduras
Honduras comes into this contest vastly underrated but their physical style could pose a problem for Costa Rica. However, Jorge Luis Pinto will make sure that the Hondurans are on point against one of his former teams. Needless to say, Honduras cannot be ruled out this evening.
