{"id":23906,"date":"2014-06-03T18:10:32","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T18:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/?p=23906"},"modified":"2014-06-03T18:10:32","modified_gmt":"2014-06-03T18:10:32","slug":"brazil-vs-croatia-world-cup-2014-june-12-2014-betting-preview-and-prediction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/brazil-vs-croatia-world-cup-2014-june-12-2014-betting-preview-and-prediction.html","title":{"rendered":"Brazil vs. Croatia World Cup 2014 \u2013 Group A Game Betting Preview and Prediction for June 12\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tens of thousands of soccer-crazed Brazilian fanatics will flock to the Arena de Sao Paulo on June 12 as the hometown favorites will face Croatia to kick-start the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The five-time World Cup champions will look to start strong against a seemingly overmatched foe, while Croatia will try to silence the home crowd in a shocker.<\/p>\n<p>Pressure will be heavy on the Brazilians\u2019 shoulders as they attempt to win yet another world cup championship, as we discussed in our <a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/world-cup-group-a-preview-and-prediction.html\" target=\"_blank\">Group A preview<\/a>, Croatia may be the team that most challenges the hosts, though they didn&#8217;t make our list of <a title=\"World Cup 2014 High-Value Sleeper Picks\" href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/five-sleeper-picks-to-win-the-2014-world-cup.html\" target=\"_blank\">World Cup sleepers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>What will happen in the first game of the biggest tournament in the world? <a title=\"Join Top Bet sportsbook\" href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/?action=signup&amp;MyAffiliatesID=P_O4RXfvDSPxLM_42dm8UWNd7ZgqdRLk\" target=\"_blank\">Create a betting account<\/a>\u00a0now and get yourself to start winning right from kick off.<\/p>\n[sc:Soccer ]\n<h2>Brazil vs. Croatia, World Cup 2014, Group Stage Betting Preview and Prediction<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where:<\/strong>\u00a0Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/sportsbook\/nba\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>When:\u00a0<\/strong>June 12, 4:00 PM ET<\/p>\n<p><strong>Line:\u00a0<\/strong>Croatia (<strong>+848<\/strong>) at Brazil (<strong>-427<\/strong>); tie <strong>+413<\/strong>,\u00a0total <strong>2.5 &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/sportsbook\/2014-fifa-world-cup\/group-stage\">view all World Cup Lines<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Betting on Brazil<\/h3>\n<p>Brazil hasn\u2019t lost a competitive soccer game at home since 1975, an astounding fact that will come into play as the South American nation begin&#8217;s hosting its second World Cup. The Brazilian national soccer squad dubbed as\u00a0<i>A Selecao<\/i> (The Selection) will be the team to beat in 2014 as they are hoping to extend their record of most World Cup championships to six.<\/p>\n<p>[sc:Soccer240banner ]The team will be comprised of 16 of the 23 players that devastated their competition last summer in the FIFA Confederations Cup, which was also held in Brazil. The team only carries five holdovers from Brazil\u2019s 2010 World Cup team, which was knocked out in the quarterfinals. Having found their form over the course of Confederations Cup championship form, they will be hard to stop as the <a title=\"World Cup championship odds\" href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/sportsbook\/2014-fifa-world-cup\" target=\"_blank\">+300 favorites<\/a> to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>One of the keys to Brazil\u2019s devastating offense in the upcoming World Cup will be Neymar, who contributed four of the 14 goals Brazil scored in the Confederations Cup. Aside from playing for Brazil in the Confederations Cup, the young, dazzling forward scored four goals and recorded 3 assists in 10 matches for Barcelona in the recently concluded 2014 UEFA Champions League. He will look to use his exemplary technique to score and electrify the Brazilian crowd.<\/p>\n<p>Joining Neymar for Brazil is midfielder Oscar, one of the elite players at his position in the world. Playing for Chelsea, Oscar does it all, dropping back and picking up possession from the center-backs, orchestrating full-field attacks and setting up plays for his strikers, or even runing beyond them and scoring himself.<\/p>\n<p><i>A Selecao<\/i> is 8-1-1 in their last 10 International Friendlies.<\/p>\n<h3>Betting on Croatia<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Mario+Mandzukic+Croatia+v+Iceland+3FLPK31VroPx.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23924\" alt=\"Mario Mandzukic\" src=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Mario+Mandzukic+Croatia+v+Iceland+3FLPK31VroPx.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Mario+Mandzukic+Croatia+v+Iceland+3FLPK31VroPx.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Mario+Mandzukic+Croatia+v+Iceland+3FLPK31VroPx-250x166.jpg 250w, http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Mario+Mandzukic+Croatia+v+Iceland+3FLPK31VroPx-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Croatia had a good start in the UEFA Qualifiers, but struggled down the stretch as they ended their last five matches in Group A with a record of 1-3-1, finishing 2<sup>nd<\/sup> in the group.<\/p>\n<p>To make matters worse, Croatia will not be able to field one of their stronger forwards in Mario Mandzukic after the latter received a red card for a crude challenge against Ireland in their second playoff match. Mandzukic, who amassed a record of three goals and two assists in 10 games\u00a0for Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League\u00a0this season, will be sorely missed against Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>However, Croatia will still have creative midfielder Luka Modric, whose time with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League helped sharpen him up for the World Cup. Modric played in 10 games, scoring one goal and assisting on three others during Madrid&#8217;s cup-winning campaign. His passing skills will be an asset in creating scoring opportunities. Even if Croatia doesn&#8217;t control play, if and when Modric gets free, the Croatians could challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Croatia is 0-1-1 against Brazil in their two encounters.<\/p>\n<h3>Writer\u2019s Prediction<\/h3>\n<p>Brazil will be too much for the Croatian team to handle, setting Brazil on course to coast through their group. Take Brazil at <a title=\"Bet on Brazil vs. Croatia\" href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/sportsbook\/2014-fifa-world-cup\/group-stage\" target=\"_blank\">-1.5 (EVEN)<\/a>\u00a0(meaning Brazil must win by two for the bet to pay out) to grab some value on a game with a heavily-favored money line.<\/p>\n[sc:Soccer490banner ]\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"23906\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;3,568&nbsp;total views, &nbsp;1&nbsp;views today<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tens of thousands of soccer-crazed Brazilian fanatics will flock to the Arena de Sao Paulo on June 12 as the hometown favorites will face Croatia to kick-start the 2014 FIFA<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"23906\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;3,568&nbsp;total views, &nbsp;1&nbsp;views today<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":23920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[393,263],"tags":[1597,277,1536,1598,1524,1156,1369],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.4 - 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