Croatia got the short end of the stick on some pivotal refereeing decisions against hosts Brazil that turned an otherwise impressive showing into a disappointing defeat.
The Croatians are now on the outside looking in for one of the two places for the knockout stage, which we had them making in our Group A preview. They could get back in the thick of that race by beating Cameroon, who were lucky to escape with just a 1-0 loss to Mexico.
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Croatia vs. Cameroon, World Cup 2014, Group Stage Betting Preview and Prediction
Despite going down 3-1 to Brazil, Croatia were more than a match for the World Cup hosts for 70 minutes. If not for a highly questionable penalty decision, Croatia may well have taken a point out of one of the tournament favorites.
[sc:WorldCup2014-240 ]Sadly, there may be more bad luck for Croatia as star midfielder Luka Modric is doubtful to play against Cameroon after sustaining a foot injury against Brazil. Modric is the lynchpin of the Croatia team with his vision and passing; his loss would be a great blow to Croatia’s chances.
However, Croatia’s midfield should still have sufficient quality to compete against Cameroon. Ivan Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic held their own against Brazil and are more than capable of taking on the midfield burden in case Modric doesn’t pass fit.
Modric’s status to play may be in doubt, but striker Mario Mandzukic is almost certain to feature after he missed the match against Brazil due to suspension. Mandzukic isn’t an incredibly prolific scorer internationally (13 goals in 50 caps), but his ability to hold the ball up for Croatia’s talented midfielders will be an aspect of their game they missed against Brazil.
The “Indomitable Lions” of Cameroon did their moniker no justice as they were thoroughly dominated by Mexico in their opening World Cup match on Friday. They only lost 1-0, but two incorrectly disallowed goals should have made the scoreline more respectable than it should have been. Cameroon has now lost five straight games at the World Cup dating back to 2006.
Midfield was supposedly the team’s strongest position, with Alex Song, Stephan M’Bia and Eyong Enoh patrolling the middle of the park. However, Mexico completely crowded them out of that area and took command of 58 percent possession.
Cameroon likely won’t get overrun in the same way against Croatia, who play a different system to the Mexicans. Instead, look for Cameroon’s midfielders to leverage their distinct physical advantage against a Croatian squad that’s missing an imposing and powerful presence in their midfield.
The Indomitable Lions’ dangerous three-pronged attack failed to fire against Mexico, but Samuel Eto’o, Eric-Maxim Choupo-Motingcould and Vincent Aboubakar could find more opportunities against a Croatian defense with question marks in seemingly every position.
Writer’s Prediction
Modric plays through his injury, while Mandzukic’s presence gives the Croatian attack a new dimension Cameroon can’t cope with. Take Croatia -145 to defeat the Indomitable Lions.
