Croatia vs Morocco Prediction | Epic Third Place Game Deserves Epic Betting Picks

Croatia vs Morocco Prediction & Betting Preview

Jump straight to the three betting picks.

Third place match in the World Cup!  Sometimes, if not frequently, a match that outshines the final in terms of attacking entertainment value, this should be a fabulous match between two plucky and highly skilled teams. 

The only risk to not having an attacking entertaining match is the possibility that Morocco sticks to its tactical guns because of its desire to finish third.  

All bets are off if that happens, but I don’t expect it to – nor do I expect Croatia to stick to its defensively-oriented tactical guns – I expect them to have fun and play with flair.  Which in turn will force Morocco to reciprocate.  I can’t wait. 

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Croatia vs Morocco Best Betting Odds

Saturday, December 17	Croatia vs Morocco Betting Odds
Croatia:	+135
Morocco:	+210
Draw:	+240
Total:	2.5 Goals -110 (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings)
Game Time:	10:00am ET / 7:00am PT

Croatia vs Morocco Prediction: How’s The World Cup Going For Both?

For Morocco, it’s a dream come true.  Flew through the group stage, winning Group F with 7 points (incidentally drawing Croatia on the way) knocked off Spain, knocked off Portugal and made Ronaldo cry (thanks for that!), and gave France an incredibly spirited fight before succumbing 2-0.  A tournament of firsts for Morocco, but also Morocco as a representative of Africa – first African team in semifinals and logically first in 3rd place game.  Led by Ziyech and Hakimi, this is a GOOD team that should continue to be good for years to come. 

For Croatia, by all measures it should be seen as a success.  Certainly, a third place game on the one hand is overachieving, but on the other hand, they did make it to the final in 2018 – and the way they were surprisingly outclassed against Argentina must leave a bitter taste in their mouth.  That said, they should be sans inhibitions in this match and you’d like to see them have some fun and strut their stuff a bit.  

 

Croatia vs Morocco Prediction:  What Will Happen and Will Anyone Score?

You have to hope that both teams abandon their defense-first approach and go for glory.  There is a concern that Morocco will be interested enough in third place (which would be a huge accomplishment) that they’ll stick to somewhat counterattacking and mildly negative defensive tactics.  However, when you see a team play offense with such joy and have such talents as Ziyech and Hakimi – the suspicion is they’ll go for broke. 

For Croatia, what’s third place?  They finished 2nd last edition.  This is the last call for a number of their players – including possibly/probably Modric the wizard.  You have to expect Croatia to come out flying and attack like they haven’t done so far this tournament (except when they needed a last minute goal).  That should result in a goal and open the game up. 

Croatia vs Morocco Predictions : The Betting Picks

Please please let their be offense!  Offensive offense!  Offense that makes no sense, where the center backs bomb forward, leaving nothing but a striker and a goalkeeper one-on-one from any clearance.  

This is a game where both teams SHOULD bomb forward, show some flair, excite the spectators, and shoot shoot shoot. 

So, with that hope and bearing in mind that it’s a third place game that should be more about entertaining and less about tactics, let’s make some picks where maybe the oddsmakers were a little conservative. 

Croatia vs Morocco Prediction #1: The Over/Under

I haven’t done a total goals pick yet this World Cup, which is good because I would have been wrong most of the time.  A fascinating World Cup for goal-scoring and shocking sometimes in terms of what TEAM scored the goals, it’s been risky business.  But this time around, let’s try a total goals bet.  Livakovic has been sparkling, close to divine through this World Cup, but I expect Morocco to have more clear-cut chances that even HE can’t save. 

On the other side, I’ve been waiting for another Perisic goal and for Modric to throw caution to wind and throw out shots left and right – and that’s gonna happen.  So, I see goals.  And why stick to the standard +2.5 line?  Let’s budge it a little and just root for goals. 

Betting Pick #1 :  So, for the 1st Croatia vs Morocco betting pick, I like the over 3.5 goals at DraftKings at +235. 

Croatia vs Morocco Prediction #2: The Player Goalscorer Prop

Let’s give a round of applause to Hakim Ziyech.  The guy has been shunned like Hester Prynne at a fairly mediocre Chelsea team all season long.  And he’s got boatloads of talent.  And boy did he show his skills at this World Cup.  

So, first a round of applause for Ziyech for not showing any rust, second for being absurdly talented, and third for his impending LARGE January transfer to a team that respects players with skill, even if they don’t happen to be English.  

Betting Pick #2: For the 2nd Croatia vs Morocco Betting Pick, I’m picking Ziyech as an anytime scorer at +285 at FanDuel.    

Croatia vs Morocco Prediction #3:  Hold Hands and Bet on Teams Combining For Total Corners

Ok, so in the theme of lots of hopeful attacking, we can still expect tons of clearances and Livakovic doing back flips and tipping the ball over the bar.  So, with that in mind, I like the looks of total team corners in regulation going with the over. 

Betting Pick #3: For the 3rd Croatia vs Morocco Betting Pick, I’m picking total combined corner as over 8.5 at +110 at DraftKings.    

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Stoppage Time | 2022 World Cup Betting Preview

The 2022 World Cup carries on, after some fascinating games.  Going forwards, Which favorites will endure some trouble? Which darkhorses are ready to emerge? Join Carmine Bianco, Kevin Dolan, Pavlos Laguretos and Nick Borrman for Stoppage Time as we look at the World Cup from a variety of handicapping angles.

2022 World Cup Group Predictions

• Group A
• Group B
• Group C
• Group D
• Group E
• Group F
• Group G
• Group H

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