What Channel Is Spain Vs Costa Rica
Spain vs. Costa Rica: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info
June 11, 2015 
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Spain meet Costa Rica on Thursday for an international friendly with both sides looking to respond to defeats in their latest outings.
Vicente del Bosque's side were beaten 2-0 by the Netherlands when they met in March, while Costa Rica were beaten by Colombia on Saturday.
Ahead of last summer's World Cup, a drubbing for Costa Rica would have been expected in such a match-up. However, as much as Spain's reputation was dashed in Brazil by a group-stage exit, Costa Rica's was boosted as they made it to the quarter-finals.
Read on for all the scheduling and television details ahead of what should be a high-quality encounter, along with the latest team news and predicted starting XIs.
Date:Thursday, June 11
Time:9 p.m. BST/4 p.m. ET
TV Info:Live on ESPN3 (US)
Live Stream:WatchESPN
Team News
Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta is set to be absent for Thursday's match as well as the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier with Belarus, per Reuters (h/t Eurosport).
Spanish Premier League starsDiego Costa,Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and Cesar Azpilicueta will also be absent having not even made Del Bosque's squad, perthe Spanish national team's official Twitter account:
Selección Española de Fútbol @ SeFutbolFinaliza la conferencia de prensa. Estos son los 24 convocados y los 5 elegidos para entrenar con la @SeFutbol http://t.co/QNV3h2Ej9Y
However, there is clearly an appetite for the Costa Rica clash, with hostingReino de Leon Stadium sold out for the occasion, perAS:
AS English @ English_ASSpain's friendly vs.Costa Rica in Léon on Thursday is a sell-out The Reino de Leon Stadium has a 13.451 capacity http://t.co/3wDRBBqIne
While Spain's superstars are clearly the main attraction, Costa Rica are sure to make for fine opponents having proved their immense quality in Brazil last summer.
They downed the likes of Uruguay and Italy in the World Cup and were only knocked out on penalties by a very strong Dutch side.
Real Madrid goalkeeperKeylor Navas should return to the starting XI after Esteban Alvarado was given a run out in the 1-0 defeat to Colombia.
Here are the predicted starting lineups for both sides for Thursday's game:
| Spain vs. Costa Rica: Predicted Starting Lineups | |
| Team | Potential XI |
| Spain | David De Gea; Juanfran, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Koke, Isco; Pedro, Alvaro Morata, David Silva |
| Costa Rica | Keylor Navas; Cristian Gamboa, Michael Umana, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Junior Diaz; Celso Borges, Bryan Ruiz, Jose Miguel Cubero; Joel Campbell, Jonathan Moya, Alvaro Saborio |
| ESPN FC | |
Costa Rica will be eager to put up a strong challenge against the Spaniards, who have endured a topsy-turvy year since last year's World Cup.
As noted by Costa Rican football writer Eduardo Mendez, the friendly with Colombia saw a weak team put out by boss Paulo Wanchope, but they should be full strength in Leon:
CRC Futbol🇨🇷 @ crcfutbolMeanwhile, Costa Rica clearly caring more about the friendly with Spain than Colombia. Not even close to our best XI. #LaSele #CRC
Following the game with Spain, Costa Rica have one more friendly against Mexico ahead of the summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup in USA and Canada.
Each player will be looking to play themselves into the manager's thoughts for the starting XI in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Spain would welcome a win in their upcoming Euro qualifier against Belarus, as La Roja currently sit only second in Group C, three points back from Slovakia.
Both sides have elements of their game to work on in Thursday's clash and a victory would be a boost for either side with more important games to come.
It should be a well-fought and high-quality clash with a number of world stars on display and a turnaround in form needed for both sides.
What Channel Is Spain Vs Costa Rica
Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2492152-spain-vs-costa-rica-team-news-predicted-lineups-live-stream-tv-info