Both teams will be looking to pick up as many points as possible before they have to face Brazil. Stay here for live scoring, updates and analysis from Russia.
Day four of the 2018 World Cup kicks off with Serbia taking on Costa Rica in Samara, a city on the Volga River. Both teams will be looking to pick up as many points as possible before they have to face Brazil later in the tournament.
• Refresh here for live updates and analysis from Russia.
• Here’s the 2018 World Cup schedule .
How to watch: In the U. S., Fox and Telemundo have the broadcast at 8 a.m. ET, but you can stream it here.
• Costa Rica is probably the worst team in Group E, but they won’t be intimidated. In 2014 they were drawn into a group featuring world powers Uruguay and Italy, and England, and Los Ticos topped the group. They even defeated Greece in the round of 16, before going down to the Netherlands on penalties.
• Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic’s next appearance will be his 104th for his country, passing Dejan Stankovic to become the most capped Serbian player.
• Keep an eye on Sergej Milinković-Savić, a 23-year-old midfielder who plays for Lazio. He’s been linked to most of the European giants, and it is likely that one of them will soon pony up a ridiculous sum for his services.
• With a population of fewer than 5 million, Costa Rica is one of the smallest countries competing in this World Cup. Read about how they, Panama and Iceland are able to compete with world powers.
• The video assistant referee system has already played a huge part in this tournament. Learn how it works before it comes into play in this game.
• The Guardian has a nice story about Costa Rican defender Oscar Duarte, and how he is able to bring often feuding neighbors Costa Rica and Nicaragua together.
