England has won eight of its last nine matches, with the only loss over that stretch coming when the team rested many of its starters in the final group stage match against Belgium. The team will be at full strength Wednesday when it faces Croatia for a spot in the World Cup final.
Croatia vs. England odds: World Cup semifinal matchup has English side as betting favorite
England and Croatia both enter their semifinals matchup on Wednesday with plenty of confidence, but the sportsbooks favor Harry Kane and Company on the odds.
Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images
The English National Team is going off as a +130 betting favorite to beat Croatia in regulation at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Croatia is a +250 underdog to win in regulation while a draw to send this game to extra time would pay +205. Both of Croatia’s knockout stage games have gone to extra time.
Croatia vs. England
When: Wednesday, July 11, 2 p.m. ET
Where: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia
Betting Line / Total: England +130 / 2 Goals
Harry Kane was held off the scoresheet for the first time in the four World Cup games he has played in last Saturday against Sweden, but the team didn’t need his scoring touch in an impressive 2-0 win.
England controlled the tempo throughout the match, breaking through with a goal in the 30th minute and then keeping the pressure on until it found another in the 59th minute. The team has outscored its opponents 11-4 so far in World Cup action and is one win away from its second trip to the World Cup final in its history.
Croatia has been to the semifinals once before in the World Cup tournament, losing to France in 1998 before going on to win the third place game. With a win this Wednesday, Croatia would earn a chance to try to exact some revenge on France, this time in the final.
After breezing through the group stage with three straight wins, Croatia has had a flare for the dramatic in the knockout stage, going all the way to the penalty shootout in wins over Denmark and Russia. The team keeps finding a way to win however; it has won each of its last six matches overall and is unbeaten in its last nine competitive matches.
Wednesday’s total is set at two goals. There have been at least two goals scored in each of Croatia’s last seven games.
Outside of France, England might be the second most complete team in this tournament so far, playing excellent soccer in both the offensive and defensive zones. England is a deserving favorite, but this Croatian side has been quite resilient and does not figure to go down without a fight.
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.
