Outright Odds: sixty six/one
Team F Winners: six/one
Croatia enter their third successive finals and may search for a repeat with the heroics of 1998 rather then the humiliation of 2002. They topped a tricky qualifying group which integrated Bulgaria and Hungary and remained unbeaten over ten matches which involved house and away victories in excess of fellow qualifiers Sweden.
Under manager Zlatko Kranjcar Croatia are a different staff to how neutrals will remember them from their 1998 exploits which noticed them get to the semi-ultimate. Long gone are aptitude gamers for instance Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki and previous Golden Boot Davor Suker. They are replaced by a lot more purposeful gamers including the Kovac brothers, Marko Babic and Dado Prso.
Like fellow qualifiers Serbia & Montenegro, Croatias results stemmed from a robust defence wherever they retained 6 thoroughly clean sheets in ten games and conceded just five goals in the method.
One more energy is often a range of the current Croatia squad are located in the Bundesliga, with Josip Simunic and Niko Kovac at Hertha Berlin, Babic centered at Bayer Leverkusen and Ivan Klasnic contracted to Werder Bremen.
Croatia have unearthed a talent in midfielder Dario Srna who's got developed a knack for scoring crucial objectives. The Shakhtar Donetsk player scored each objectives in the two 1-0 wins about Sweden during the defining matches with the team.
Key striker Dado Prso scored 5 ambitions in qualifying, his countrys joint top scorer with Srna. He burst into prominence when he netted four objectives for Monaco inside the 8-3 Champions League thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna. He manufactured his Worldwide debut eight months before the match but has considering the fact that become an computerized choice in attack.
Croatia have absent regarding their enterprise quietly and confidently and Inspite of their unbeaten qualification initiatives, will continue being unfancied by numerous to generate any affect inside the finals. Which will accommodate them fantastic as previous coach 바카라사이트 Mirko Jozic blamed the tension on the class of 1998 for the dismal failure from the 2002 squad which observed them lose 1-0 to Ecuador within their final match.
Ultimately, they experience favourites Brazil inside their opening match so will likely not have to worry about dealing with the reigning champions in a crunch group decider. If they can consider something from that game they will be in pole place to achieving the 2nd spherical.
Proposed Guess
Regardless of the apparent toughness from the group, Croatia are much more than effective at qualifying from it offered their modern showings in qualifying with the finals. With among the list of meanest defences in Europe and a host of players plying their trade in Germany They're a sound wager to stick to Brazil into the last 16.
Croatia to qualify from Group F @ 5/6