Croatia v Belgium World Cup Group F Betting Guide

Croatia Team Info – Aiming to Go One Further

Croatia beat their own record in the 2018 World Cup when they reached the final. Previously the team had reached the semi-finals in 1998, their very first World Cup, but they were knocked out by France. 20 years later, they met France once again in the final. It was a dramatic game where both teams scored, but France won 4-2. The Croatians finished second, and their best player Luka Modric not only won the golden ball, but he later won the Ballon d'Or as well. In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Croatia were drawn into a group with Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Russia. They finished first in the group after winning 7 of their 10 games and scoring 21 goals.

Croatia has a team that is full of footballers who play in the top European leagues. A lot of the team has aged though, and their main striker, Mario Mandzukic, retired after the 2018 World Cup. The leading goal scorers in the team after his departure are Ivan Perisic, and Luka Modric, who are 33 and 37 years old. They have forward Andrej Kramaric, who plays for 1899 Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, where he scored a whopping 32 goals last season. In addition to him, they have some great midfielders in Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, and Mario Pasalic, who play for Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Atalanta. In defence, Domagoj Vida and Dejan Lovren are both 33 years old now, but they can also employ Josip Juranovic, Josko Gvardiol, and Josip Stanisic, who are in their 20s. In goal, they have Dominik Livakovic, who has 31 caps and plays for Dinamo Zagreb.

Belgium Team Info – Aiming for Silverware

Belgium qualified for the 2022 World Cup after finishing first in the UEFA Group E. There, they had to play against Czech Republic, Belarus, Wales, and Estonia. Belgium topped the group with ease, scoring 25 goals to win the group without losing a match. The team was ranked number 1 in the world rankings at the start of the qualifiers, but they dropped to second place after having a poor performance at the UEFA Nations League. Belgium made their best World Cup run in 2018, when they reached a third place finish. They lost to France in the semi finals, and then beat England in the third place playoffs.

Whilst the Belgian team have performed well in recent World Cups and European Championships, they have never won either. The team is full of world class players such as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, and defenders Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, and Thomas Meunier, in the back line. Their midfield and attacking players include Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans, Thorgan Hazard, Yannick Carrasco, Dries Mertens and Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku is the top goal scorer for Belgium, with 68 goals from 102 appearances.

Croatia vs Belgium Head-to-head

Croatia has faced Belgium a total of 8 times. Both teams have won three times, and two games ended in a draw. They played against each other twice in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, with Belgium beatin Croatia 2-1 and the two teams drawing 1-1. Most recently, Belgium played against Croatia in an international friendly in 2021, and Belgium won the game 1-0.

Croatia vs Belgium Betting Preview

There will be many great bets that you can pick from on this fantastic matchup. You can bet on which team will win, how many goals will be scored, which player will score, as well as numerous more specific bets that single out certain match criteria.

Double Chance

Croatia against Belgium may be a difficult match to predict, and if you are hesitant about how the match may play out you can use the double chance bet. This bet allows you to cover two of the three possible outcomes so that you can greatly reduce your chances of losing. You can bet on Croatia to win or the match to end in a draw, Belgium to win or the match to end in a draw, or either Croatia or Belgium to win.

Asian Handicap

Handicap betting can be a great way to increase the odds on a team. There are multiple negative numbers that have increasingly longer odds and the one you pick will be subtracted from the score of your chosen team at the end of the match. That team needs to overcome the handicap and win the game for you to win your bet. You can also pick one of the positive handicaps, which will be added to your team’s score at the end of the match, but these will come with increasingly shorter odds.

If you pick Belgium with a handicap of -2.5 then you will need Belgium to win the match by 3 or more goals. If you opt for a handicap of -2 then you will also need Belgium to win the game by 3 or more goals, but if they only win by 2 then you will receive a refund.

If you pick a handicap of -2.25 then half of your stake will go on a handicap of -2.5 and the other half will go on a handicap of -2. This means that if Belgium wins the match by 3 or more goals then you will receive your full winnings, but should they only finish 2 ahead of Croatia, then the -2.5 part of your bet will lose but you will receive a refund for the -2 part of your bet.

Over/Under Total Goals

Total goals are bets on the combined score of both teams at the end of the match. You will have to select one of the multiple betting lines offered and then bet on whether the game will finish with more or less goals than the line. For example, if you bet over 2.5 then you will need Croatia and Belgium to score a combined 3 or more goals. If you bet on under 2.5 then you will need Croatia and Belgium to score a combined 2 goals or less.

Player Goals

You will be able to make bets on all the top Croatian and Belgian players to score in the match. Odds will be offered on Romelu Lukaku, Luka Modric, Kevin De Bruyne, and all the other players who start the match to score. You can also make bets on which Croat or Belgian player will score the opening goal and which player will score the final goal of the game.

And Plenty More

All of these selections are just the tip of the iceberg, and you will find there are masses more in our collection. Belgium to score the first goal, Belgium to win the first half, Croatia to reverse the result, both teams to score, Croatia to score in both halves, Belgium to score over 3.5 goals are just a few of the many types of bets you can find on specific match criteria.

If you are planning to bet on the matches in the World Cup then we highly recommend you create a budget. There are many matches and it can be easy to become carried away with all the excitement and hype, but you should avoid spending outside of your financial limits. If you need help on how to gamble responsibly then you can find advice and guides at gambleaware.co.uk