Costa Rica vs. Mexico: World Cup 2018 Qualifying Live Stream, Preview

The two leaders in the CONCACAF qualifying group for the 2018 FIFA World Cup will go head-to-head on Tuesday, as Mexico and Costa Rica battle it out in their Hexagonal matchup.

El Tri have already qualified for next year's tournament and currently lead Costa Rica by three points. The hosts have a six-point gap over the United States and Honduras and can book their ticket to Russia on Tuesday.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming match.

Date: Tuesday, September 5

Time: 10 p.m. ET/3 a.m. BST (Wednesday)

Venue: Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose

Live Stream: BeIN Sports Connect

Preview

Marcos Urena's double on Friday gave Costa Rica a 2-0 win over the favoured United States side, setting the team up well for the final matches of the Hexagonal. Regardless of the result on Tuesday, the team seems destined to qualify for the World Cup as one of the three automatic qualifiers.

Per Soccer America's Paul Kennedy, Los Ticos did not steal the win against the Stars and Stripes:

Star goalkeeper Keylor Navas already appears to be in mid-season form, even though Real Madrid have only just started their domestic campaign, and with the 30-year-old backing the defence, Los Ticos will like their chances against most teams.

The hosts will face a stern challenge against El Tri, however. Mexico are still unbeaten in the Hex, and while their attack hasn't been in vintage form, their defensive record is superb, with just two goals conceded in seven matches.

Per Tom Marshall of ESPN FC, manager Juan Carlos Osorio has received some criticism ifollowing the Gold Cup and a handful of average results, but he remains the right man for the job:

With a World Cup ticket already in the bag, Osorio may opt to give his younger players some more minutes, although he's not expected to shake things up completely.

One man to look out for is Hirving Lozano, who scored in his fourth consecutive match for club and country against Panama. The 22-year-old is expected to explode for PSV this season and will want to continue this great run for as long as he can.

Prediction: Costa Rica 1-1 Mexico