World Cup Qatar 2022: Morocco v Croatia Betting Preview
World Cup Qatar 2022: Morocco Vs Croatia Betting Preview. The 2018 Runners up Croatia hope they can go all the way with their first test, Morocco, at the Al Bayt Stadium. Join us as we assess both teams and highlight the players to watch. We also make predictions in the popular Over / Under goals market and what we feel will be the final score.
The 2018 finalist Croatia commences their World Cup campaign against the best Arabian team in the competition, who could be destined to be the competition’s dark horse. The African team hopes to match their best-ever performance (Round of sixteen) at the 1986 edition of the games. Croatia were runners-up in the last competition; thus, anything rather than a final will be a step back from their best.
Croatia, the tournament’s darlings last edition, bring an ageing squad but overflowing with experience, hoping to go one better than their precious performance. So, we highlight the players to watch and bets to consider and scrutinise all the factors that could influence the game’s outcome.
Morocco v Croatia Betting Odds and Markets
The most popular markets are the full-time result or the over/under. See the latest odds on offer in the tables below.
| Match Result Betting | ||
|---|---|---|
| Morocco Win | Draw | Croatia Win |
| 16/5 | 12/5 | 17/10 |
The bookies have Croatia as heavy favourites, bet365 has them as 17/10, Morocco at 16/5 and the draw priced at 17/10. These prices would indicate that operators class Morocco as the group’s punching bag, but they could be dark horses in the tournament.
Morocco is on fine form, unbeaten in the last six games, winning four against Chile (2 – 0), Jamaica (3 – 0), Liberia (2 – 0), South Africa (2 – 1) and drawing two against Paraguay (0 – 0), Qatar (2 – 2). However, their opponents Morocco are also on a decent run. The recent 0-0 draw with Paraguay ended a three-game winning streak against South Africa (1-0), Liberia (0-2) and Chile (2-0).
Croatia topped their UEFA Nations League group after an impressive run of four consecutive wins against Austria (3 – 1), Denmark (1 – 0), and France (1 – 0). However, their most recent form is less impressive. They drew against France (1 – 1) and lost to Croatia.
Over/Under Market
| Match Result Betting | |
|---|---|
| Over 2.5 Goals | Under 2.5 Goals |
| 13/10 | 8/13 |
Morocco has had two or more goals in two of their last four games, while Croatia has two over the previous six. Therefore, the odds for under 2.5 are the most probable, rated at 8/13, while over is at 13/10. Croatia averaged two goals in the previous edition, thus making the Over 2.5 risky but possible.
Player(s) to watch – Morocco
Hakim Ziyech has failed to get regular football at Stamford Bridge, battling injuries that have hindered his progress. However, his talent is irreplaceable to the Moroccan team, and he will definitely be a starter regardless of his club form. His last goal was back in the preseason against Udinese. He is a threat, especially from set pieces, and has a magical left foot that unlocks the defence with precision passing and excellent dribbling skills.
Expected Goals creator. Anti-pressing solution in the pocket, vision of the game during offensive transitions or from the side for the runs of the strikers, constant sacrifice in defense without the ball in pressing. The Magician Hakim Ziyech 🪄pic.twitter.com/cWMdB9x4Tg
— 🇵🇹infernALE🇲🇦 Waiting for Ziyech. Day 149 (@infernALE96) November 10, 2022
Player(s) to watch – Croatia
Luka Modrić – The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has been an iconic player for club and country. He was the team’s captain and engine on the pitch in their 2018 quest that saw them finish second after a season where he led Real Madrid to the Champions League triumph. After recently winning the Champions League and yet again playing a crucial part, we anticipate the maestro carrying the form to the competition. He has scored two goals in his last three club games and will once again be his team’s most reliable player, with his form determinant on his team’s progress.
37-year-old Luka Modrić is heading to his fourth World Cup after being confirmed in the Croatia squad 🍷 pic.twitter.com/LrO5Dn2UXT
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 9, 2022
Match Prediction: Morocco 0 – 2 Croatia
The confidence and experience of the Croatian team are simply unmatched. The 2019 runners-up were cruising in the previous campaign. With some of the players still available, we expected them to continue performing exceptionally well, so we predict they edge out the Africans by a 2 – 0 scoreline. Morocco is stubborn, but we feel the class of the Croatians will shine through. As a result, the Moroccans are still favourites to be second in the group.
Morocco v Croatia, Group D, Al Wakrah Sports Club Stadium. Kick-off is at 1 pm (UK time).
Morocco Squad:
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca).
Defenders: Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United), Yahia Attiat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Achraf Dari (Stade Brest), Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid), Achraf Hakimi (Paris St Germain), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Romain Saiss (Besiktas).
Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), Selim Amallah (Standard Liege), Bilal El Khannouss (Racing Genk), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria).
Forwards: Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Soufiane Boufal (Angers), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers), Walid Cheddira (Bari), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad), Amine Harit (Olympique Marseille), Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea).
Croatia Squad:
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivica Ivusic (NK Osijek), Ivo Grbic (Atletico Madrid).
Defenders: Domagoj Vida (AEK Athens), Dejan Lovren (Zenit St Petersburg), Borna Barisic (Rangers), Josip Juranovic (Celtic), Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Borna Sosa (VfB Stuttgart), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Martin Erlic (Sassuolo), Josip Sutalo (Dinamo Zagreb).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Lovro Majer (Stade Rennais), Kristijan Jakic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Luka Sucic (Salzburg).
Forwards: Ivan Perisic (Tottenham Hotspur), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marko Livaja (Hajduk Split).
You can learn more about placing World Cup bets on our World Cup betting page. In addition, our betting tips page will bring you all the latest match previews and betting tips. Use our World Cup Squad Builder to pick your best starting 11 for Morocco and Croatia, and learn more about each squad playing at the 2022 World Cup.
