Croatia vs Morocco World Cup Betting Preview 17/12/2022
After losing their respective semi-final matches, Croatia and Morocco meet in the third-place play-off on Saturday, so enjoy our Croatia vs Morocco World Cup Betting Preview. Croatia head to the match following an impressive run to the final but were eventually eliminated by a Lionel Mess-inspired Argentina. Morocco were equally inspiring as they became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-final against France. The two sides are fiercely competitive, and this could make for an engaging World Cup play-off encounter. This fixture kicks off at 3 p.m on Saturday and will be shown live on the BBC.
Form and Team News
Croatia’s semi-final defeat against Argentina ended their five-match unbeaten run in the World Cup. They were 2-0 down at half-time and couldn’t respond before conceding a third late on. Despite reaching the semi-finals, Croatia only won once in their previous five, as their quarter-final and round-of-16 matches ended in draws. These came against Brazil and Japan (1-1). After causing major upsets by knocking out Portugal and Spain previously, Morocco couldn’t defeat reigning champions France last time out. The Atlas Lions conceded early on and couldn’t hit back. They then let in a second with 11 minutes remaining.
In terms of team news, Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and defender Joško Gvardiol are injury doubts. Morocco trio Nayef Aguerd, Noussair Mazraoui and Romain Saiss are ruled out.
Match Winner Betting Tips
Judging by the match winner odds, the bookies clearly favour one side in the Croatia v Morocco match. Croatia are the current favourites, despite struggling in their 3-0 defeat against Argentina. At 11/8 odds, William Hill currently has the best value for a Croatia victory in the play-off. The bookmakers also rank Morocco as an outsider ahead of the clash. Although, the Atlas Lions have been in better form and won three of their last five matches in the World Cup. There is some decent value in backing a Morocco win, and Unibet is offering 43/20. However, the two sides have built success by being hard to beat during this tournament. Croatia is unbeaten in 11 of their last 12, while Morocco has lost just once in their last 11. Due to this, we are tipping a draw in the play-off match. At present, VBet has the best odds for a draw at 53/12.
Under 2.5 Goals Bets
Low-scoring results have been regular for both Croatia and Morocco throughout the World Cup. Therefore, punters could find more value in backing another low-scoring result in this clash. In five of their last seven, Croatia has seen under 2.5 goals, while Morocco has seen under 1.5 in two of their last three. A tight contest is expected between the sides, and SBK has the best odds for under 2.5 at 28/29.
Anytime Goal Scorer Betting
Although goals could be rare in the Croatia vs Morocco fixture, there are a couple of standout picks in the anytime goalscorer market. First, Croatia’s Andrej Kramarić has been a danger man at the World Cup and has two goals in his campaign so far. At 5/2, provided by Unibet, there is some decent value on the Hoffenheim man to strike again. But, after striking a vital goal in the 1-0 knockout win over Portugal recently, our tip is to back Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri. The striker has two goals in the competition so far, and also has three in his last seven international matches. An anytime En-Nesyri comes with good odds too, as Bet365 will return 11/4 for the Moroccon to net again.
Our Croatia vs Morocco World Cup Bet Tips –
Match Winner Bet – Draw – 53/12 with VBet
Over/Under Betting – Under 2.5 goals – 28/29 with SBK
Anytime Goalscorer – En-Nesyri – 11/4 with Bet365
Conclusion
Croatia and Morocco will be disappointed to fall short of the World Cup final. However, these two competitive sides won’t let up in this play-off match. A tight and well-balanced clash could unfold in the second to last game of the finals on Saturday. Hopefully you have enjoyed reading our Croatia vs Morocco World Cup Betting Preview, however please remember we can never guarantee our tips as winning bets. Our betting tips each weekend look to provide good value and hopefully will lead to long term betting value, however, they are never guaranteed to win. At the time of writing, we also look to find the best possible betting odds available from the bookmakers so you can get as much in betting returns as possible.
We also suggest if you want to try to maximise your betting, you head to our homepage for the best bookies free bets, welcome bonuses and betting offers. Here at Free Bets UK we show you the best UK free bets, free bet bonuses and bookies welcome offers so you can find all the free bets in one place. Not only that, but we also review all the UK bookmakers online betting sites, so you can find exactly which betting sites would suit your betting and where you’d be best placing your bets.
Whatever you do choose to bet on though, please remember to gamble responsibly, stay within your betting limits and keep your sports betting fun, after all, that’s what betting is supposed to be. Good luck.