Continuing the quarterfinals of the World Cup and then we will talk about the forecast Russia vs Croatia. There is no clear favorite on this occasion, since the two teams are even and can be neutralized during a large part of the match. Therefore, as the betting houses believe that the Croatia have more chances to qualify for the semifinals, we believe that the process may be more even than expected. Faced with this reality and knowing that the Russians are very motivated after eliminating Spain, we believe that the tie can be an interesting option to bet. Remember that the local factor can also influence in your favor, balancing the balance much more in the football aspect. Also, do not forget that Professor Dalic’s boys left a lot to be desired in their presentation to Denmark.
Russia:
The Russians came to this instance after eliminating a boring and shallow Spain. The technician Cherchesov made a defensive and very tactical approach, trying to stop the collective potential of the “Red”. He did not achieve it in the first minutes of the game when he received the goal from Sergio Ramos, but then he accentuated well after the penalty equalizer converted by Dzyuba. It is a combative, orderly and effective set despite its limitations. It does not count on stars, nor with great players. Most are compliant, standing out for running a lot and for scoring well. Now they will risk a little more, since the Croats are not characterized by managing possession in excess as the Spaniards do. Despite this, the team managed to complete 4 corners in total.
For this duel is expected that Russia attack more, trying to attack en bloc without losing the defensive balance. Ideally, make the transitions defense-attack and attack-defense in an orderly manner, since your opponent has good players facing the opposing goal. The objective of the hosts is to take advantage of the field and breath factor of all the Russians that will be in the stadium. Only in this way, can balance the balance in the football process. The stopped balls will be vital for the Russians, fact that could be seen before the “Red” of Iron. Therefore, each corner, free kick close to the area and lateral will be vital in their aspirations to reach the goal.
Croatia:
The Croats did not play well against Denmark last Sunday, leaving behind the good image they had shown in the group stage (3 wins in a row, including a 3-0 win against Argentina). Those led by Dalic had about 20 ‘acceptable minutes, managing to recover from the early converted by the “Nordic”. After that, all the holders sank in the insignificance, arriving to fail in many aspects of the game (poor elaboration, bad passes, errors in defense). In short, there was a lot of fear of losing, it was very difficult to overcome an ordered and tactical rival between the lines. The objective of this selected is to recover his identity and try to capture it before a rival that will surely do something similar to what was done by the Danes in 8th.
If we try to visualize what Croatia will do in this match, we believe that it will look to handle the ball and advance its lines when it can. The team has better players than its rival, being vital to regain confidence in its style (compact between lines and dapper when the play requires it). The ideal is that Rakitic and Modric appear more and show both defensively and offensively. The first one did not shine before the Danes and the second one showed but had many wrong decisions. He also missed a penalty at a key moment (2nd overtime). Other players who should also appear more are Rebic and Perisic, who were very low against the “Nordics”. Up, Manduzkic scored but he was very clumsy in other plays.
The last match that both had selected was some years ago, more precisely in November 2015. On that occasion, Croatia won 1-3 in an international friendly.
PREDICTION: Both teams to score / NO @ 1.64
