Argentina has not been sharp over the last calendar year with only one win and four draws in its last six competitive games for a record of 1-4-1 over that stretch. Lionel Messi will try to lead his side to a full three points this Thursday against Croatia.
Argentina vs. Croatia odds 2018: Betting preview, trends for Thursday World Cup matchup
Argentina will try to find its top form Thursday when it faces current Group D leader Croatia, with the sportsbooks setting Lionel Messi and company as betting favorites.
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The Argentinians are going off as +110 favorites over Croatia at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Croatia could lock up a trip into the knockout stage with an upset win as +275 underdogs or at least stay in a share for the group lead with a draw at +225.
Group D: Argentina vs. Croatia
When: Thursday, June 21, 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Betting Line / Total: Argentina +110 / 2.5 Goals
There is little debate that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of this generation and of all time. But so far in the 2014 World Cup, he has been out-shined by his rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored four goals in Portugal’s first two games.
Argentina did not look like a strong World Cup contender through qualifiers with a 7-7-4 record and a +3 goal differential, but the hope was that the team could switch gears when the World Cup began. After a 1-1 draw to Iceland in the first game, that switch needs to come now.
Argentina is 1-1-2 in four all-time games against Croatia going 1-1-1 across three friendlies and losing 1-0 when the two teams met in the 1998 World Cup.
Croatia was the only team to pick up a win out of Group D in the first game of the group stage, defeating Nigeria 2-0 last Saturday. This Croatian side is undefeated over its last five competitive games with a record of 3-2-0 and should enter this match with plenty of confidence.
The team’s defense has earned three clean sheets in its last four games and hasn’t allowed more than one goal in its last 17 competitive matches.
Thursday’s total is set at 2.5 goals. Nine of Croatia’s last 10 competitive games have had two goals or less scored.
This will not be an easy game for Argentina. At their best, the Argentinians have the talent to compete with virtually any team in the world. In its current form however, Argentina may have its hands full against a very competent Croatia side.
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top World Cup betting news check out the OddsShark FC podcast with Andrew Avery, Rob Trites, and Craig Cormier. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsSharkFC.libsyn.com.
