2018 World Cup Betting Prediction: Croatia vs. Iceland Odds

Now they turn their sights to a sweep of the group stage as the obvious favorite to clinch the top seed in Group D as they prepare to take on Iceland on Tuesday. On the other side of the football, this match will be a must-win for an Iceland side that has just one point to show through its first two games. Iceland will throw everything it has at Croatia pushing for three points but even if they find a way to win they will need some help from the other two teams in the group to advance.

2018 World Cup: Croatia vs. Iceland Betting Analysis

These teams are very familiar with one another after placing 1-2 in Group I in the UEFA FIFA World Cup qualification. Iceland went 7-1-2 in the group including a split with Croatia. Croatia won the first qualification match 2-0 while Iceland won the second match 1-0. All of that seems like a long time ago now heading in to a game with major implications. Iceland is the more desperate team of the two but we can expect Croatia to play a desperate style as well as they attempt to sweep the group.

Croatia

This will mark only the second time ever and the first time since 1998 that Croatia will advance past the group stage. The Croatian attack has scored five goals in two games while completely outclassing both Nigeria and Argentina. There is really no reason to expect these teams to slow down either. Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic all found the back of the net versus Argentina and the fact that they have so many strong attacking options will make them tough to slow down moving forward.

Croatia did a good job of attacking in waves and keeping the pressure on the opposing defense in each of their first to wins. That trend will continue in this contest as they prove the old saying that the best defense is an excellent offense. While some will argue that Croatia might not be the same after winning its first two group stages, anybody that understands how much this tournament means to the team and the country knows they will bring their best to the table on Tuesday with a chance to sweep the group.

Iceland

While they are another feel good story of the tournament, Iceland might not have the class to advance past the first round. Iceland did an excellent job of slowing down Argentina in its opener but we know now how vulnerable the South American side is and Iceland looked completely lost at times versus Nigeria. The speed of the Nigerian counter was a major issue for Iceland as their back line simply struggled to keep up on the back end.

With just one point, Iceland will need to play with a sense of urgency in this final contest as they attempt to break through with a win against Croatia. However, the focus on the attack will put even more pressure on their back end against a very talented offense. Iceland can be proud of making it as far as they have but this could be the end of the line for the European side with a tall task ahead of them.

Croatia vs. Iceland Prediction

 Croatia 2, Iceland 0