According to Oddsmakers, the match between Brazil and the field in the 2022 World Cup. The Selecao, who beat South Korea 4-1, are clear favorites to lift the trophy at +175, well ahead of second choice France at +400 ahead of the quarter-finals.
Brazil are huge -750 favorites at BetMGM to get past Croatia.
Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday. The game can be seen on FOX.
Here is our betting preview for the quarter-final match:
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Prediction between Brazil and Croatia
It has been quite a journey for Croatia since the 2018 World Cup. The Katakli reached the finals in Russia but went more than 90 minutes in all three knockout round victories, two of them via shootout.
Wouldn’t you know it, Croatia is already 1-for-1 in the shootout in Qatar.
Croatia deserve credit for weathering the storm against Japan and taking the game to penalties. Still, the task will be tougher against the Brazilian attack, which has scored seven goals in four games and created 9.5 expected goals in this tournament.
It’s not good for either team. Still, this is a particular concern for Croatia, who lack the team pace and defensive personnel to contain Vinny Jr., Neymar, Richarlison, Rafinha and the rest of the Brazilian attack.
Croatia have only conceded twice in four games, but the Checkers have been very lucky to have such a consistent defensive record. Croatia has allowed 4.2 expected goals in their last two games and 5.1 xG overall, so the Checkers have to suffer a negative regression at some point.
More interestingly, Croatia’s worst defensive performance came against Belgium, the only striker the Croatians have played so far. Although they didn’t score, Belgium generated 3.0 xG against Croatia.
Should you bet on the World Cup?
Brazil’s offense is in a different stratosphere than Belgium’s, and there should be a ton of joy in stretching Croatia’s slow and tired defense on Friday morning.
If Brazil can get a little early in this game, Croatia will have to go all out and break out of their comfort zone to get back into the game. Croatia usually like to play methodically, allowing Luka Modric to control the tempo in the middle of the pitch. However, if they fall behind, they take more risks and this makes them vulnerable during the transition.
After a four-goal performance against South Korea, Brazil may seem to be overestimating their attack, but the reality is that the Selecao still have plenty of room for offensive growth in this tournament. It’s a scary concept against a very tired Croatia side.
A choice between Brazil and Croatia
Brazil Team Total Over 2.5 (+175, FanDuel)
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