Portugal and Croatia will see only one team progress, with Croatia’s most recent form a little shakier than their World Cup heyday, but still a threat to reckon with. On the other hand, Portugal is looking to vindicate itself, as the team’s top stars are struggling to bring their teams close to the trophy over the past several editions of the event. Portugal is listed as a slight favorite – is this justified?
Portugal vs Croatia Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Portugal to Advance | -255 |
| Croatia to Advance | +215 |
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Portugal vs Croatia Date, Where to Watch
- Date: Friday, July 3
- Time: 7 pm ET
- Place: Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada
- Where to Watch: FOX, FOX One, Fubo
The Portugal Curse – Why Such a Great Time Ends Up Underperforming?
Portugal has some of the most talented players in the entire tournament, and yet – the country has had a bit of tough luck so far dominating their opponents. Of course, this has to do with the fact that the World Cup mostly consists of the most deserving players worldwide, but still.
During the Group Stage, Portugal steamrolled Uzbekistan in a merciless 5-0 game, but fumbled against Colombia and DR Congo, with the latter actually finishing the game as a 1-1 draw.
DR Congo caught Portugal unawares at the very end in 45+5’ to score, and equalize the board. Now, Portugal will have to defeat a team that has not been at its best performance, but did well in the Group Stages – Croatia.
Croatia has been a high-scoring team throughout the tournament this far, playing against multiple opponents and prying away a win minus the unfortunate turn of events against England which saw them lose 4-2. But Croatia has performed consistently so far in the tournament.
They have been able to hold ball possession, and the team has repeatedly managed to advance and threaten their opponents, even in games against arguably superior teams. With two wins to their name so far, Croatia has shown that no turtling strategy can be too strong, and it would manage to reach and score in the opponent’s goalie no matter what.
Portugal’s curse is that it’s incredibly talented and strong individualism sometimes comes at the expense of the team. Ronaldo’s status often sees teammates rely on him a little more heavily or the player relying on himself a bit much as well, creating a paradox in which Portugal could be missing opportunities to realize just how good everyone on its roster is.
Portugal has been working on that, however, with players such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão, Vitinha, and João Neves making a big difference in making for a more coherent squad where Ronaldo’s exceptionalism shines, but is not as heavily relied upon as in the past.
So, the question is, can Croatia’s own team pull it off? Players such as Martin Baturina, Petar Musa, Petar Sucic and Nikola Vlasic have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to pose a near-constant threat to the opponent, with Ante Budimir.
This gives Croatia a diverse lineup of potential threats that Portugal will have to adapt to, especially if Croatia is able to work on its backline and exert pressure that slows the Portuguese offensive momentum. Picking a winner here is going to be hard, but we believe that despite its struggles in some respects, Portugal will win this one as well.
Pick: Portugal to Advance (-255)