2018 World Cup Odds, Prediction: Croatia vs. Nigeria Betting

World Cup 2018: Croatia vs. Nigeria Betting Analysis

This is the first time that Croatia and Nigeria have met in international soccer. Croatia has a win and two losses in three friendly matches in 2018. Nigeria has five losses, a win and a draw in seven matches in 2018. Current odds have Croatia priced as a clear favorite at -165. 

Croatia

Croatia has been relatively quiet since beating Greece 4-1 in a two-legged playoff to get into the World Cup. They have played three friendly matches, losing 2-0 in Peru, winning 1-0 in Mexico and then losing 2-0 at home to Brazil. They were unfortunate to lose to Peru as they were the better team, but things never broke their way. They got a penalty to beat Mexico, and Croatia were always going to be hard-pressed to beat Brazil, home or away. Sports Interaction’s World Cup futures odds have Croatia currently priced at +3500 to win the tournament.

But that is the rub with Croatia; they can be very inconsistent and they need to be at 100% to beat the top teams. Their midfield can be incredible, led by Luka Modric. He should be allowed to play further forward with any combination of Ivan Rakitic, Mateo Kovacic or Marcelo Brozovic behind him. Mario Mandzukic can handle things up front, while Ivan Perisic will roam the wings. But the defense can be shaky, personified by Dejan Lovren. Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic is solid enough, but the players in front of him have to be better. If they are, Croatia could be a darkhorse for a deep World Cup run.

Nigeria

Nigeria has been much busier than Croatia this year as they had the African Cup of Nations in January, reaching the final. They lost 4-0 to Morocco in that game, then beat Poland 1-0 in a friendly. Since then, Nigeria has lost to Serbia, Atletico Madrid (yes, the club, not a country) and the Czech Republic at home. They also drew at home against Congo and lost in England. Nigeria’s defense has a lot of holes in it, starting with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, who looks to be the first-choice between the sticks. However, he is also 19 years old and that seems like a bad position to put someone of his age in. That means the back line has to be solid in front of him and they are not good, either.

That puts a lot of pressure on captain John Obi Mikel to be a shield in front of the defense, but he cannot be everywhere. That means Wilfred Ndidi has to take his game to the next level. Nigeria does have young, talented attackers like Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho, but they are still very young. Can they be counted on to take their chances when they fall to them at the World Cup? Make no mistake, Nigeria will be fun to watch. But their problems at the back will keep them from success at the World Cup, where the latest odds have them listed at +20700 to win it all.

Croatia vs. Nigeria World Cup Prediction:

Croatia 2, Nigeria 1