Croatia vs Canada

Croatia and Canada take on each other in their second match of the tournament and it’ll be a tough game for both sides. Croatia saw out a goalless draw against Morocco in their opening fixture whereas Canada fell to a 1-0 defeat against Belgium.

This is only the second time Canada have qualified for the World Cup with the last being back in 1986. However, John Herdman has got his side playing with confidence and despite losing their opening match, they matched Belgium in many areas of the pitch.

Canada showed more attacking quality in their opening match than Croatia did but I feel that it’s something that the Croatia defence will be able to handle. I’m not expecting many goals in this game and wouldn’t be surprised to see either team win it by a goal to nil.

I’m tempted to back Croatia but with how Canada played against Belgium, I feel they could get something out of this game.

A draw is my pick at odds of 12/5.

I’m not expecting many goals and 0-0 isn’t out of the question. It’s between that and 1-1 in my opinion. 1-1 is 6/1 whereas 0-0 is 10/1 and the price of the latter appeals to be more.

Canada may play the more attacking style of football between the two sides but Croatia’s solid defence may cancel them out. As I’ve backed 0-0, BTTS – No would be my selection.

As I’ve tipped a stalemate, I wouldn’t be looking to have a bet on the first goalscorer market. However, I’m a big fan of Canada’s Jonathan David who is priced at 8/1 to bag the first goal.

With a 0-0 score tipped, Draw/Draw is the only selection for me in the HT/FT market.

Although I’m not expecting many goals, this could be a lively game and if so, may result in a lot of cards. Over 1.5 cards for each team is my selection.

Croatia expected starting lineup:
Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic

Canada expected starting lineup:
Borjan; Laryea, Johnston, Vitoria, Miller, Davies; Buchanan, Hutchinson, Eustaquio, Larin; David