Chris Boline
- Croatia v Canada
- Sunday, November 27, 2022, 11:00 ET
- At Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Croatia were frustrated by Morocco in their opening game but they look a good pick to earn a win against Canada on Sunday.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Checking out the best-rated online sportsbooks we can see that bettors are not keen on supporting Croatia for this game. The 2018 World Cup runners-up are considered a +115 chance to win the game, with Canada rated at around the +265 mark and the draw priced at +240.
| Croatia v Canada |  |  |  |
| Croatia | +115 | +114 | +110 |
| Draw | +240 | +236 | +235 |
| Canada | +269 | +250 | +265 |
World Cup Group F Betting Briefing
World Cup Group F has not produced many goals so far, but both opening games were enthralling in their way, including the goalless draw between Croatia and Morocco, which has given Belgium the edge in the Group with two rounds of fixtures to go.
Canada played their part in making their game against Belgium an entertaining one, and arguably deserved more out of the occasion than the 1-0 loss they sustained. Their enterprising play, pace and attacking instincts gave Belgium plenty to think about and they are likely to go for it in the same style here against the second-highest ranked team in the Group.
Croatia are already off the pace in the battle to top the Group, but a win here would get them back into contention ahead of their crucial final game with Belgium, while Canada will be aiming to sneak a point here, to keep their challenge alive when they take on Morocco.
Another Slow Start for Croatia
Croatia may have finished as runners-up at the 2018 World Cup but they are also known to be slow starters and that was again the case in their opening game in Qatar.
Morocco are a well-organised team that can be tough to break down, but they are not world beaters and Croatia fans would have been disappointed at the way that their team huffed and puffed with very little effect in that opening game. More is definitely expected.
The Croatian midfield trio is one of the best in the world and given time and space, they can unpick most defences, but the lack of a cutting edge up front means that Luka Modric and co don’t always get full value for their creative work. They will hope that with Canada being a more adventurous team than Morocco, there will be more opportunities to create goalscoring chances.
Canada Make a Strong Impression
Anyone who had seen Canada’s impressive CONCACAF qualifying tournament would not have been surprised by their strong start to Group F against Belgium.
John Herdman’s youthful team made a strong impression as they took the game to their highly rated opponents, overwhelming the ageing Belgian midfield and giving the opposition defence a thorough workout and if Alphonso Davies had scored from the penalty spot, the game might have developed in a different way.
Still, realistically, Canada fans cannot have been expecting to get anything from that first game, and the way that their team matched the Belgian stars was immensely encouraging. They will also have been encouraged by the way that Morocco were able to match Croatia in their opener, and will hope to do the same to the Croatian midfield that they did to Belgium.
World Cup Group F Match Betting Pick
Going into this competition, Canada were one of those teams that had slipped under the radar. A lot of tournament previews focused on their long absence from the World Cup stage rather than their array of promising young players and their impressive performance against the likes of Mexico and the USA.
There had to be some doubts over how they would adapt to the conditions in Qatar, but they seemed completely at ease in their opening game, and given their relative youth compared to the rest of the teams in Group F, they look the team most likely to improve throughout the tournament.
Unfortunately for value bettors, the sportsbooks and World Cup betting fans have caught up with the potential of the Canadian team and if anything, there has been an overreaction to their opening performance. Croatia are one of the best teams in the world, and when they find their feet in a tournament, they can be extremely dangerous opponents.
The 2018 runners up will also be fully focused on making up the ground they lost by dropping two points against Morocco. Soccer fans will be hoping to see Canada progress, but from a betting perspective, their opponents are the obvious value bet.
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