Chris Boline
- Croatia v Brazil
- Friday, December 9, 2022, 10:00 ET
- At Education City, Al-Rayyan
Brazil is the big favorite to win the World Cup but it faces a tough quarter final challenge in an experienced and resolute Croatia team.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Checking out the best-rated online sportsbooks it is no surprise to see that bettors make Brazil the big favorite to win this game. The five-time World Cup winner is -270 to beat Croatia, while the draw is priced at around +390 and Croatia is available at anything between +760 and +900.
| Brazil v Croatia |  |  |  |
| Brazil | -270 | -270 | -280 |
| Draw | +400 | +390 | +390 |
| Croatia | +900 | +760 | +825 |
World Cup Quarter-Final Betting Briefing
Brazil has been an ever present at World Cups since the first was held in 1930 and is the only team that can claim that distinction. As a five-time winner, it is also the only team to have permanently won a World Cup trophy – the original Jules Rimet trophy – that was awarded to the nation after the 1970 victory.
Although Brazil has won more World Cups than any other nation and has produced some of the greatest players ever to appear in the tournament, it hasn’t won the competition since 2002, and Brazilian football is still to fully recover from the shock of losing 7-1 to Germany in the 2014 World Cup, which it hosted.
Croatia’s World Cup story began in 1998, which was the first competition it had qualified for since gaining independence. It marked its debut in spectacular fashion, reaching the semi-finals, where it lost to France, the eventual winners of the tournament. After three tournaments of failing to get out of the Group stage and one failure to qualify, Croatia went further in 2018, reaching the final.
This quarter-final clash will be the third time that Croatia has played Brazil at the World Cup and Brazil has won both of the previous two encounters. The first came in the Group stage of the 2006 World Cup, when Brazil prevailed 1-0 through a goal by Kaka. The two teams were once again paired in the Group stage at the 2014 tournament. This time the result was a more convincing win for Brazil, as it scored all four goals (including a Marcelo own goal) in a 3-1 victory over its Balkan opponents.
Brazil in Top Form
Brazil’s players were burdened with a weight of expectation going into the competition but so far it doesn’t seem to have weighed them down in the same way that it has done for previous generations.
Even the loss of one of its forwards, Gabriel Jesus, has not slowed Brazil down. It beat Serbia and Switzerland without conceding a goal and was able to progress despite resting several key players for its final Group game against Cameroon.
Brazil’s best performance so far came against South Korea as the array of forwards in its ranks hit top form and fired in four goals in a dominant first half display. Croatia is a much tougher opponent, but right now Brazil looks hard to beat.
Croatia Underestimated
Four years ago, Croatia made undramatic progress to the World Cup final, and it has once again flown under the radar in 2022. It came through the Group stage in unspectacular fashion, registering 0-0 draws with Morocco and Belgium either side of a 4-1 thrashing of Canada.
Its form was no more eye-catching in the Round of 16. Croatia was up against Japan and was a strong favorite to come through that game, but in the end, required penalties to reach the quarter-finals.
Yet, despite the unimpressive nature of its performances so far, Croatia cannot be underestimated. The core of the team that reached the final four years ago remains in place and has been supplemented with several younger talents. Although there is still some concern about where the goals will come from, Croatia is well organized, technically accomplished and experienced on the biggest stage.
World Cup Quarter-Final Match Betting
Although Brazil has an array of forwards that is stronger than any other team in the tournament, ultimately, its real strength may be in the experienced defenders and midfielders who form the backbone of the team and give its many attacking talents the freedom to create.
Both teams are well-organized and balanced and although it may be tempting to predict that Brazil will score another hatful of goals here, this is likely to be quite a tactical quarter-final as the Croatia midfield attempts to match the opposition and to create counter-attacking opportunities.
Ultimately Brazil has so many match-winners that it is likely to find a way to score the goal it needs to progress but this could turn out to be quite a low-scoring game.
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