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Argentina and Croatia will square off in an anticipated Group D meeting in the World Cup, with the Argentinians being in danger of missing out on qualification if they don`t get a positive result.
Argentina didn`t look very sharp in the first game against Iceland. Although they deserved to win, as they missed a penalty and had another one inexplicably not given, the The Albiceleste often looked devoid of ideas up front. They were too dependent on Messi, and him not having a great game hurt the team immensely. Even so, they are likely to put all their hopes in Messi yet again in this very important clash.
Croatia started off with a routine, no-nonsense 2-0 win against Nigeria, a solid result which came after a simple and clinical performance. “Solid” might be the best word to describe this Croatian team, and they will be confident of being a more cohesive unit and a better organized side than Argentina coming into this game.
Bet on Argentina vs. Croatia and claim your 100% (100 Eur) bonus at Ohmbet now!Team news & lineups:
Both teams are reported to be at full strength before this match.
Argentina: Caballero – Mercado, Otamendi, Tagliafico – Salvio, Mascherano, Perez, Acuna – Pavon, Messi, Aguero
Croatia: Subasic – Vrsaljko, Vida, Lovren, Strinic – Brozovic, Rakitic – Rebic, Modric, Perisic – Mandzukic
In all likelihood Argentina will have a tough time against this Croatian side which has plenty of quality but also plays very disciplined and well organized football. The Croatians have no reason to feel themselves inferior here, and their cohesion and organization will create big problems for a rather disjointed Argentina team.
Messi’s side is just not looking very good, and not only because of the Iceland match. It must not be forgotten that they qualified for the World Cup in the last moment thanks to some heroics from Lionel Messi in a deciding last round match in Ecuador. The team is not sharp or dynamic and lacks killer instinct, which is no surprise considering that Argentina has, by some margin, the oldest squad in the World Cup.
Look for Argentina to struggle to break down Croatia’s defensive setup, and in the end both teams might settle for a draw. Croatia would definitely love it, while Argentina will at least still have qualification in its hands in the last match against Nigeria – while a loss could be catastrophic depending on Iceland`s result against Nigeria on Friday.
All things taken into account, the value seems to be on the draw here, so that will be my bet. Low – medium stakes. Prediction: Argentina – Croatia 0-0.
Pick: Draw
Odds: 3.35 @ Unibet
Stake: 4
Possible profit: 9.40
Event date: 21 June
