The Croatians are on cruise control right now. They are 2-0-0 with five goals scored and none allowed through their first two matches. While they have grabbed a sure ticket to the next round, they will need a win over Iceland this Tuesday to lock up the top spot in the group. As for Iceland, they desperately need to defeat Croatia in order for them to have a chance of sailing though the group stage.
After getting a huge morale boost by drawing with South American powerhouse Argentina in the opener, Iceland plummeted back down to Earth with a 2-0 loss to Nigeria last Friday. Up against group leader, Croatia, Iceland will be under immense pressure to deliver a win. That said, Iceland might not be facing Croatia at the latter’s 100 percent level. It has been reported that Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic is planning to rest some of his key players, considering that his team has already assured themselves of participation in the knockout stage of the tournament. This sounds like good news for Iceland, who are very much familiar of their next opponents. Iceland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson that the two sides are “like a married couple”, thanks in large part to the fact that both teams have met each other four times over the last four years. Iceland even defeated Croatia at home in the qualifiers, 1-0, though they lost the away leg of that matchup, 2-0.
Betting on Croatia (+105)
Croatia is simply coasting in the tournament so far. The have outscored their first two opponents, 5-0. That accounts for their huge 3-0 beatdown of Argentina last Friday. Having secured six points and a sure passage into the next round, there is not really much to play for Croatia besides country pride, which also happens to mean a lot in such a grand stage as the World Cup. Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, Dalic is going to play it safe, as he wants his men as fresh and his roster as injury-free as possible heading into the knockout stage. Moreover, he has some players at risk of suspensions after getting flashed with a yellow card in the earlier matches of the tournament. Still, Croatia have plenty of talent at their disposal. Plus, it’s unlikely that Croatia will keep talented Luka Modric in the bench for the entire contest. With Modric on the pitch, Croatia run like a well-oiled engine.
Writer’s Prediction
Croatia cements their hold of the top spot in Group D with a 2-1 win.
