Croatia vs Canada Prediction & Picks (World Cup Group F): Will Canada’s hopes of advancement stay alive?

Croatia and Canada have never met in international soccer, but their first meeting couldn’t be any bigger for either side.

Today, the two teams will face off at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha in a key World Cup Group F clash, knowing that victory would go a long way towards securing a place in the round of 16.

Croatia, who has yet to advance to the knockout stages in back-to-back World Cups in their short history as an independent nation, opened their tournament with a disappointing goalless draw with Morocco. The 2018 finalists were favored to win, but they failed to make the most of their significant possession advantage.

Canada would have been happy with a point against Belgium, but they were made to pay for an early missed penalty by Alphonso Davies in a 1-0 loss to Belgium.

A draw won’t doom either side, but neither will be looking to go into the final round of group stage matches needing a win to advance. How should you bet the matchup? Read on for our Croatia vs Canada prediction and picks.

Croatia vs Canada Matchup Information and Betting Odds – 2022 FIFA World Cup Group F

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Croatia (1 point, 2nd in Group F) vs Canada (0 points, 4th in Group F)
• Venue & Location: Khalifa International Stadium (Doha, Qatar)
• Date: Sunday, November 27, 2022
• Game Time: 11:00 am ET (7:00 pm local time)
• How to Watch Croatia vs Canada (in the United States): FS1

Croatia vs Canada Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Sunday, November 27, 2022, at 3:00 am ET. This article may also include odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Moneyline

• Croatia to win +125
• Draw +220
• Canada to win +230

Total Goals Over/Under

• Over 2.5 (+116)
• Under 2.5 (-142)

Both Teams to Score

• Yes -118
• No -108

Will Continued Ambition Pay Off for Canada?

There are no moral victories on this stage if you have aspirations of staying beyond the group stage, but Canada should be proud of what they showed in their opener against Belgium.

But there had to be a feeling of “what if?” after the match, as they had a chance to take an 11th-minute lead from the penalty spot.

However, Davies saw his kick saved by Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois, and that would prove to be crucial. Belgium would take the lead in the 44th minute, and Canada couldn’t make any of their 21 shots count.

Still, there’s a lot to take positively into the Croatia match, especially the fact that they weren’t afraid to take chances against one of the top sides in the world.

Croatia would do well to show some of that same ambition. Against Morocco, they had much, much more of the ball–65 percent possession to 35 percent for Morocco–but it didn’t translate into many opportunities on goal, as they took only six shots, just two of which were on target.

Croatia vs Canada Prediction and Picks

Croatia vs Canada Prediction: Croatia to win

Croatia vs Canada Picks: Croatia ML (Best Value: +128 at BetUS) & Croatia/Canada over 2.5 goals (Best Value: +116 at BetOnline)

Their World Cup history isn’t exactly extensive, but in five previous appearances, Croatia has never lost in their second group game.

• 1998: beat Japan 1-0
• 2002: beat Italy 2-1
• 2006: drew 0-0 with Japan
• 2014: beat Cameroon 4-0
• 2018: beat Argentina 3-0

If Belgium do as they are expected to do against Morocco, this match isn’t exactly a must-win for Croatia and Canada.

But if all three points go to Croatia, they will be able to go into their final group match against Belgium with a chance to win the group and not just fighting for qualification. Similarly, if all three points go to Canada, they could move on to the last 16 with a draw against Morocco, depending on how things shake out.

Because of how the tournament has gone so far–only eight of the first 24 group matches have gone over 2.5 goals–I’m hesitant to jump on the over.

But I feel like this is a good spot to do so. If we see an early goal, the trailing team will need to open things up a bit to try to get back into the game, which can also make them vulnerable to conceding again. I’m not jumping on any correct score markets, but if I were to do so, I’d be on 2-1 or 3-1 in favor of Croatia.

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