World Cup qualifying awaits Brazil and Costa Rica in November. The two will meet on Saturday to prepare for the most meaningful football imaginable, and they'll be doing so under different circumstances.
Brazil already have the added benefit of transitioning from one head coach to another. Costa Rica will begin an awkward transition of their own in New Jersey.
A free live stream of the international friendly can be found here.
Preview
Game Time: 4 p.m. local time
Location: Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ
Weather: 81°F, Sunny
TV Coverage: beIN Sports (USA)
Main Talking Point
It's a new era for the Costa Rican national team. The scandalous departure of Paulo Wanchope—who resigned after an altercation with a Panamanian security guard—opened the door for Oscar "Macho" Ramirez.
The newly appointed head coach immediately brought change to Costa Rica, moving back to the team's infamous five-man back line.
"The five-man back line is an option," Ramirez said, per Nacion. "I think it gives us defensive stability. I like to change my tactics and be a chameleon during the match. I'll be introducing a new system, but the change won't be drastic."
The changes to Ramirez's starting XI, however, will be.
Projected Lineups
Brazil's (4-2-3-1): Jefferson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Luiz, Marcelo; Gustavo, Fernandinho; Lima, Willlian, Costa; Hulk
Costa Rica (5-3-2): Pemberton; Matarrita, Acosta, Gonzalez, Duarte, Gamboa; Venegas, Borges, Tejeda; Ruiz, Ureña
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Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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