2022 World Cup: Croatia vs. Canada Preview, Odds, Prediction

Canada plays with Croatia in the second round of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. These two units are in a tough position and need a win to stay in the race for the knockout stage. Canada lost to Belgium unfairly, we might add, and had no points before this event. Croatia played without goals against Tunisia, without showing anything worth mentioning. So a win here is more or less a must for both sides, especially Canada, whose head coach Joh Herman had a fiery speech regarding this match right after the contest with Belgium.

Preview

Croatia (+110) is without a win for seven straight games, and to be honest, we didn’t expect to see them that pale against the Tunisian unit. After five consecutive wins, this team couldn’t reach three points here, and along with that, showcased a disappointing performance.

On one side, they have solid names in the midfield, but none of them justified its reputation. Modric was invisible, Brozovic and Kovacic the same, and this trio was suffocated by the Tunisian rivals.

Five of the past seven games Croatia played were with under 2.5 goals, and in four of them the Croats have kept its net intact, which is positive, but on the other side, the offense was never shinny.

Canada (+260) didn’t have the experience to defeat Belgium. The Devils were on the ropes, but Canada didn’t know how to hit them properly and end the game. Davies’ missed penalty didn’t kill his and his teammates’ morale, and as time, they regrouped and continued at the same pace.

Belgium’s goal also didn’t stop the Canadians, who relentlessly attacked throughout the game. That second penalty which wasn’t called, changed the course of the event, and pretty much saved the Belgians, who had an enormous amount of luck.

Canada needs to tighten its back line because they conceded a goal in the past four consecutive events. There is an imbalance between them and the remaining lines, but a part of that problem is that they often stay alone while the midfielders go upfront and attack the rival.

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Zlatko Dalic needs to make certain changes, and we might see Marko Livaja or Mislav Orscic in the attack from the first minute. Also, Dalic could leave Kovacic on the bench and try with more explosive players.

On the other hand, Canadians are more likely to leave their team as it is. They just need more focus and composure in front of the rival’s goal, otherwise, everything is okay.

Head to Head Games

There haven’t been any official games between these two countries.

Prediction

The fact that Canada plays very lively, with a high pace, and Croatia completely the opposite leaves us with one question – which style of play will prevail? In this particular situation, the Canadians are looking safer to bet one because of fantastic wingers, and that’s something Tunisia didn’t have and one of the reasons why their tactics against Croats didn’t work out. Overall, Canada left a better impression in the opener, and that’s why we suggest betting on John Herdman’s crew. The Croats are old, while on the other side, their rivals are in their prime.

Pick: Canada +260