Piojo Herrera assures that he has the key for Costa Rica to defeat Nicaragua
The Mexican coach said that his team has studied their rival well and has a clear idea of what will lead them to victory in Managua
Costa Rica's national team coach, Mexican Miguel Herrera, said Thursday that his team has a "clear idea" to defeat Nicaragua in Friday's World Cup qualifier match and acknowledged the good work his rival has done in recent years.
“The boys have done very well. The FIFA dates are short to work, but we have done a lot of prior work and the boys know well what we have planned, they are clear about it and we are going with a clear idea to get the result tomorrow,” Herrera declared before this Thursday’s trip to Managua.
Regarding the Nicaraguan national team, Herrera said that he has done an analysis to see their strengths and weaknesses and highlighted that in recent times this team “has worked well” under the command of Chilean coach Marco Antonio ‘el fantasma’ Figueroa.
“It is a team that is betting on the home field, on being strong at home. It is a dynamic team that looks for the long ball a lot and is good at the second ball. They will have the same desire to go to a World Cup,” commented Herrera.
The match between these neighboring teams, who are facing each other for the first time in a World Cup qualifier, will be played this Friday at the National Stadium in Managua and corresponds to the first day of Group C, in which Honduras and Haiti.
The Costa Rican national team, with goalkeeper Keylor Navas in its ranks, will travel to Nicaragua this Thursday and will not train at the National Stadium in Managua, but will step onto the artificial turf where the match will be played, Herrera said.
Herrera did not want to get into controversy regarding some statements made to the press by the rival coach: "We have no need to talk too much," he said.
The Costa Rican coach explained that he expects his team to "deliver" and "be fully focused" in order to manage the match and get the three points.
After Friday's match, the Costa Rican national team will return to San Jose to host Haiti next Tuesday in the second matchday of the group.While Nicaragua must visit Honduras.
This final phase of the CONCACAF qualifying round is made up of three groups of four teams each. The first place team in each group will earn a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup, while the two best second-place teams will compete in the playoffs.