Croatia vs Belgium Prediction, Odds and Betting Tips – 2022 World Cup: Who Will Win?

💯 Croatia vs Belgium Betting Odds

Now that you know a little more about these two sides, the next step is to check out the most popular football betting markets below. We’ve also provided the latest, real-time 2022 world cup football odds from our recommended sportsbooks, so that you can make even more informed decisions and wagers!

🏅 Croatia vs Belgium Odds: Match Winner

Croatia to Win	2.66	2.60	2.70	2.60	2.60	2.70	2.63
Belgium to Win	2.37	2.65	2.70	2.63	1.65	2.63	2.70
Draw	3.37	3.30	3.35	3.25	3.20	3.20	3.20

⚽ Croatia vs Belgium Odds: Both Teams to Score

Yes	1.90	1.77	1.85	1.70	1.67	1.75	TBA
No	1.91	1.92	1.94	3.10	2.10	2.33	TBA

🥅 Croatia vs Belgium Odds: Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Over 2.5 Goals	1.99	1.94	2.10	1.87	2.00	2.05	1.80
Under 2.5 Goals	1.79	1.75	1.75	1.83	1.80	1.73	1.91

🏠 Croatia Football World Cup Preview

Croatia is ranked 15th in the world by FIFA, while August’s recent rankings also establish the Croats as the 10th best UEFA side.

The country could also be set to rise further in the rankings, after an impressive run of form that has seen Croatia lose just one of their previous 12 matches dating back to October 8th.

This sequence included the final World Cup qualifying fixtures, in addition to a superb UEFA Nations League A campaign that saw Croatia see off France and Denmark to qualify for this year’s finals.

Impressively, the Croats managed to beat France 1-0 in Saint-Denis during this run, while home and away victories over a higher-ranked Danish sides underlines Croatia’s penchant for the big occasion and ability to compete in the biggest of matches.

🏆 Croatia World Cup History

Between 1930 and 1990, Croatia was formally part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which broke up around the time of Italia ’90 along with a number of other socialist blocs around the world .

Having earned independence as a nation in 1991, Croatia reached its first major tournament at Euro ’96, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to eventual winners Germany. The side, which boasted exceptional players such as Davor Šuker, Zvonimir Boban, Robert Jarni and Robert Prosinečki, then qualified for their first WC finals at France ’98, incredibly reaching the semi-finals before being eliminated by the host nation.

Croatia ultimately claimed third place in 1998, before successive group stage exits followed in 2002 and Germany 2006. Another group stage exit followed in 2014 after a transitioning Croatia side missed out completely in South Africa in 2010.

However, the nation reached a new peak in Russia 2018, powering their way to the final before ultimately losing 4-2 to France in a helter-skelter match. They’ll hope to go one better here, especially given the unique meld of youth and experience in their most recent squads.

✔️ Croatia Qualification and Road to the World Cup 2022

Croatia faced a challenging route to Qatar, having been drawn in UEFA Group H against Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta.

However, they ultimately performed well throughout qualifying, winning seven and losing just one of their games while scoring 21 goals and conceding only four. Interestingly, they started their final group match against Russia two points behind their rivals in second place, only for a late Fyodor Kudryashov own goal to propel Croatia into first and the automatic qualification place.

At the heart of the Croats’ success was the nation’s home form, which saw them win four of their five matches. They also produced some eye-catching results on the road, including a 7-1 thrashing of Malta.

⭐ Croatia Players to Watch

We’d expect you to be familiar with most Croatian players, many of whom ply their trade in Europe’s top five leagues. But which of these are the best? Here’s our pick of the players to watch once the 2022 World Cup gets underway.

• Luka Modric: Luka Modric will appear in his fourth World Cup finals in Qatar, having debuted in 2006 and subsequently played in 2014 and 2018. Now 37-years-old, Modric continues to roll back the years and remains the heartbeat of the national side, while he has amassed an astonishing 154 caps and scored 23 goals for his country. Interestingly, his last 21 international caps have yielded seven goals at a rate of one every three games, while he also scored three times during WC qualifying.
• Ivan Perišić: Ivan Perišić is another of Croatia’s old heads, with this versatile player renowned for his excellent delivery from wide areas and an unerring eye for goal. After all, he has 32 international goals in 115 matches, while also scoring 139 times in 558 club career appearances. Having joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, Perišić has already contributed four assists in all competitions, and his know-how and attacking output will prove crucial to the Croat side in the Middle East.
• Luka Sučić: At the other end of the age spectrum is the 20-year-old attacking midfielder Luka Sučić, who currently plies his trade for Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg. This bright spark, who has scored 19 club career goals in 102 matches, came to prominence in the UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023 qualifiers last autumn (when he scored three goals and assisted once in just three matches). He was subsequently called up to the senior team on October 9th, before making his competitive debut against Slovakia in a 2-2 draw. He now has three caps and could be a true star in the making in Qatar.

📰 Latest Croatia World Cup News

✈️ Belgium World Cup Preview

While Roberto Martinez’s Belgium side is ranked second in the world by FIFA and statistically UEFA’s number one nation, they’re currently only the ninth favourites to win the World Cup in Qatar.

But why should this be the case? Well, since qualifying for the World Cup, the Red Devils have flattered to deceive, losing twice to the Netherlands (including a 4-1 thrashing in Brussels) and failing to qualify for this year’s UEFA Nations League finals.

What’s more, Belgian’s talented squad is continuing to age, with defensive lynchpins Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld now 35 and 33 respectively and forming part of a back line that’s severely lacking in pace and mobility.

It may be that Belgium’s so-called “golden generation” peaked in Russia 2018, of course, when they finished third after a narrow semi-final defeat to eventual winners France. However, the side will fancy one final tilt at glory this time around, and may tempt punters who want to back a likely outsider to prevail in Qatar.

🏆 Belgium World Cup History

Qatar will see the Belgians appear in their 14th World Cup finals, meaning that the nation has only failed to qualify on seven occasions (they also refused to enter the 1950 tournament after World War II).

As we’ve already touched on, however, the side’s third place finish in Russia last time out remains their best ever performance at the finals, although they also finished fourth in Mexico 1986 after losing 2-0 to a brilliant Argentina side and their talismanic forward Diego Maradona.

Outside of these two tournaments, Belgium have progressed beyond the round of 16 only once, reaching the quarterfinals in 2014 before losing another clutch knockout match to Argentina (this time by a goal to nil).

In total, Belgium have won 20 of their 48 WC finals matches in total, losing 19 and drawing the remaining nine. Interestingly, they also have a negative goal difference in finals matches, scoring 68 and conceding 72, which is unusual given their overall record.

✔️ Belgium Qualification and Road to the World Cup 2022

While Belgium may not have performed particularly well of late, the team managed to qualify for Qatar with relative ease.

In fact, they won six and drew two of their eight matches in UEFA Qualification Group E, beating a much-improved Wales side into second place and consigning the Czech Republic to third. They also topped the group by five points from the Welsh dragons, while scoring 25 goals and conceding just six.

The Red Devils’ most striking victory was an 8-0 thumping of Belarus, while a thrilling 5-2 win over a game Estonia side in Tallinn also caught the eyes of international fans. Here’s confirmation of Belgium’s qualifying results in full.

⭐ Belgium Players to Watch

Despite the aging nature of the Belgian squad, it remains packed full of talented forwards and household names. We’ve picked out the best of these below, just in case you want to wager on any individual player betting markets during the upcoming tournament!

• Kevin De Bruyne: Few players are as influential for their country as Kevin De Bruyne, who remains one of the best and most creative attacking midfielders in the world. Across 217 Premier League appearances for Chelsea and Manchester City, for example, De Bruyne has scored 58 goals (most of them worldies) and laid on 90 assists for his teammates. For his country, the talismanic midfielder and scored 24 goals in 91 international appearances, while he remains the creator-in-chief for Belgian’s key forward players like Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard.
• Eden Hazard: Let’s face facts; Eden Hazard has endured a torrid time since moving to Real Madrid from Chelsea, experiencing huge issues with form and fitness and scoring just seven goals in 70 appearances for Los Blancos. However, he remains a hugely experienced and talented player for Belgium, with 122 caps to his name and 33 goals (including one during WC qualifying) to his name. Ultimately, Hazard is still a talented and mercurial match winner with an eye for the spectacular, and Belgium will be hoping he can find his best form in Qatar.
• Yannick Carrasco: The versatile Yannick Carrasco was the subject of intense transfer speculation during the summer, with the Atletico Madrid star capable of playing as both winger and left wing back. The 29-year-old certainly thrives in Belgium’s trademark 3-4-2-1 formation, in which he and Thomas Meunier provide exceptional width while De Bruyne and Hazard are afforded the freedom to play narrower. He’s a likely starter in Qatar, and a real technical with an unerring eye for goal (he has eight goals in 59 caps for his country).

📰 Latest Belgium World Cup News

🥇 Croatia vs Belgium Prediction - Who Will Win?

This is a really hard match to call, as while Belgium appears to have the slightly better individuals overall and superior pedigree, this experienced Croatia team always seems to save its best performances for the big occasions.

Similarly, it’s unclear whether Belgium’s recent lack of form is part of a more serious and permanent malaise, as the playing squad continues to age and the so-called “golden generation” potentially mounts its last realistic attempt to win a major tournament.

Because of this, we’re backing Croatia to edge the win and potentially top Group F in the process. Although we still expect the Belgians to qualify for the knockout stages, they’ll be unlikely to claim first in the group if they don’t win here.

Our match prediction: Croatia to win.

🔍 Our Croatia vs Belgium Betting Tips?

Because Belgium are clear favourites with the bookies, there’s value to be found in following our prediction and backing Croatia to win with a relatively small stake.

You can back this outcome at a favourable price of 4.00 with Boyle Sports, and it’s worth placing this type of wager before the odds are inevitably shortened as bets flood in and the match draws closer.

You may also want to consider backing both sides to score, with Belgium and Croatia possessing excellent creativity and quality in front of goal. You can get on this at a price of 1.91 with LeoVegas Sports.

🎁 Croatia vs Belgium World Cup Free Bets

At this stage, all that’s left is to review a few of the World Cup free bets currently being offered by our recommended sportsbooks.

We’ve listed these below, so you can see which one is best for you and ensure that you get the optimal value from your bankroll!

Sportsbook	Offer	Visit Sportsbook
	Receive up to €100 in Free Bets	Visit TonyBet Sports
	Free Bet Offer up to €100	Visit Palmslots Sport
	Bet €10 Get €50 in Free Bets	Visit BoyleSports
	Free Bet Offer up to €50	Visit LeoVegas
	Free Bet Offer up to €50	Visit BetVictor
	€20 Free Bet Bonus	Visit Ladbrokes Sports
	€30 free bet Welcome Bonus	Visit William Hill
	€100 Bets Bonus Offer	Visit Sportaza
	Receive up to €10 Free Bet Bonus	Visit Luckster Sports
	Cash back bonus up to €40
	100% Matched Free Bet up to €100	Visit Rabona Sports
	€30 Free Bets Welcome Bonus

✒️ Lewis Humphries - Sports Journalist, Tipster and Betting Expert

This Croatia Vs Belgium 2022WC Prediction was written by Lewis Humphries. Lewis is a business and iGaming copywriter from the UK, who has a passion for sports betting and online casino gaming. He's reviewed some of the world's leading casino platforms, while creating blog posts and landing page content for various sports betting brands.

His content has also featured on a number of different sites, including Life Hack, Investopedia, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider. He also pens regular sports features for sites including 90 Minutes, Think Football Ideas and Sportsblog.