Croatia vs Denmark
The group stage of the World Cup is done and dealt with, and fans can now look forward to the real meat of the festivities: the knockout rounds!
Games where the losing team doesn’t get another chance and pack their bags home always elicit loud cheers and world-class football from the sides involved. Now that they’ve got their foot on the door, there’s no way that the teams who are through will let their FIFA 2018 journey end here!
Croatia and Denmark are far from favourites to making it deep in the competition, and the odds for either nation even making it past the quarter-finals aren’t looking good. If they want to have a shot at taking home the World Cup trophy, they have to start with a convincing win here!
Both nations have quality players that can bend the game to their will as well as strong performances in their groups. Fans who will be watching the game at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium and around the world will definitely be treated to a stellar game of football!
Talking Points
There is no question that Croatia are the bigger draw in this Round of 16 duel. They have been playing exceptional football in this World Cup, and Zagreb is probably expecting great things from her son’s current World Cup run.
They have players such as Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic, Dejan Lovren and Mario Mandzukic that are thriving in different situations throughout Europe. They also showed their quality in a fiercely competitive Group D that featured Argentina, Nigeria and Iceland.
However, Luka Modric has been the biggest fish in a squad that features players from Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Liverpool. Considered to be one of the best midfielders in Europe, the Real Madrid midfielder has made his presence known in a talent-heavy team and is expected to lead them in this match.
Midfield partner and Barcelona man Ivan Rakitic had nothing but good things to say about Modric. The Galactico is considered to be a key player for Croatia’s hopes in Russia. He said that it’s a great honour to see how Modric and Andres Iniesta, his team-mate at Barca, work the midfield.
“It seems like both of them are from a different planet and they came to play football with us mortals here,” the 30-year-old said of the Real Madrid man.
Modric was especially noticeable during Croatia’s outstanding victory over La Albiceleste. he made key passes from the midfield that helped bring in the winning goals as well as scoring one over an errant Willy Caballero. There’s no denying that he is certainly the priority man for the Danish Dynamite.
However, it isn’t like the Vatreni are the only ones with stars in their lineup.
Denmark also have their own list of talent they can rely upon to produce for them. Kasper Schmeichel has been amazing at goal. Pione Sisto and Yussuf Poulsen are strong attacking options up front. Andreas Christensen and Jens Larsen are also good defensive options.
Like Croatia, however, their core is at the midfield. Tottenham Hotspur man Christian Eriksen has played fantastic football for club and country, and he is also the key player for Age Hareide’s chances at a deep World Cup run.
While Eriksen has not yet won any Premier League or Champions League trophies with Spurs, he is more than confident that he is as good of a midfielder as Modric.
“I do not consider myself to be worse than him [Modric],” he told the Danish media during the country’s preparation for the match. He also admitted that he is playing a more attacking role for the national side compared to his club, making for very attractive football.
History
That brand of attacking football, in an age where we see European giants frustratingly gunning for a draw, is a breath of fresh air. Zlatko Dalic’s persistence for the Croats to attack has gifted the national side great FIFA 2018 results so far.
They won all of their group stage matches, snagging seven goals and only conceding in their final group match against Iceland. Five different players have scored for the Vatreni, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more Croatian players add to the tally.
Meanwhile, Denmark had a pretty lacklustre run to the knockout stages. After winning 1-0 to Peru, they got careless against Australia and drew 1-1. While it is understandable that they didn’t want the prospect of facing Argentina, it was disappointing that they didn’t hunger enough for a win against France.
These two countries have met multiple times since the 90s, and the head-to-head record is currently tied. Croatia won 3-0 over Denmark in the UEFA European Championship in 1996. The Danish Dynamite won two of their next three bouts, and the Vatreni took the W in their 2004 duel.
What are the odds?
SBOBET has interesting FIFA 2018 odds for this game, and there are great winnings to be had in this one.
Given the current form of both sides, it’s not hard to see why Croatia get the nod with a -0.75 handicap for 2.23. If they keep up with their attractive attacking football and constantly put Denmark on the backfoot, then a comfortable Croat victory is possible.
However, if you believe in Denmark’s capability to succeed against the odds, then a +0.25 boost for the Danish Dynamite will reward you with 2.47 odds.
There is a potential for goals in this game, but I don’t see anyone scoring in the first half. Under 0.75 goals is an attractive option at 1.96.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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