10 Players to Watch at the 2018 World Cup

Group B: Diego Costa

Country: Spain

Club Team: Atletico Madrid

Age: 29

Following his high-profile switch from Brazil to Spain in 2014, Diego Costa was supposed to become the next superstar in a long line of fantastic Spanish strikers. That plan fell flat on its face when Spain was eliminated from the 2014 World Cup in the group stage, and recently there were serious questions over who would lead the front line in Russia. However, when the final squad was announced and Costa was one of only four strikers called up -- along with Iago Aspas, Lucas Vazquez, and Rodrigo Moreno -- it became clear that he would be the man again.

With David De Gea in goal, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, and Jordi Alba in defense, and a plethora of world-class midfielders, Spain's only real question mark is at the striker position. Costa is certainly talented enough to get the job done, especially with the high level of players surrounding him, but he has had a problem with his temper in the past, and that's kept him from producing for his country.

Spain are talented enough to win the World Cup with Costa on his B game -- our models give Spain a whopping 25.12% chance of getting to the final, second only to Brazil (38.44%) -- but if he finds his A game for the first time in his international career, they could be unstoppable.

Costa made the switch from Brazil to Spain precisely for opportunities like this, and now it's time for him to finally make an impact. If he doesnt, there is a very good chance that he won't ever have the opportunity to do so again.

What to Expect: