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

💯 Croatia vs Morocco Betting Odds

While the third-place playoff match is often something of anti-climax for fans, it’s still home to the same betting markets as any other WC game. So, you can bet on the match winner, both sides to score and the over/under market for total goals scored in the game, and we’ll delve into each of these a little more below!

🏅 Croatia vs Morocco Odds: Match Winner

We’ll start with match wagering, which is the single most popular market across all of our recommended betting sites. So, here’s a glimpse at the very latest Croatia vs Morocco odds.

Croatia to Win	2.38	2.38	2.35	2.25	2.20	2.30	2.30
Morocco to Win	3.20	3.10	3.20	3.10	2.90	3.00	3.00
Draw	3.50	3.50	3.50	3.40	3.40	3.40	3.40

⚽ Croatia vs Morocco Odds: Both Teams to Score

You can also bet on whether you think both sides will score or not, with this offering a highly competitive, even money betting market. Here’s the real-time odds from our recommended sportsbooks!

Yes	1.67	1.67	1.67	1.60	1.57	1.62	1.67
No	2.25	2.25	2.20	2.20	2.30	2.15	2.10

🥅 Croatia vs Morocco Odds: Over/Under 2.5 Goals

We’ll close with the popular over/under market for total goals scored in the match between Croatia vs Morocco. At the time of writing, the tournament’s 62 completed matches have yielded 163 goals at a rate of 2.63 per game, so this is a fascinating even money market that’s highly sought after.

Over 2.5 Goals	1.83	1.83	1.83	1.75	1.83	1.80	1.80
Under 2.5 Goals	2.05	2.05	2.06	1.95	1.95	1.95	1.95

🏠 Croatia Preview

While few fancied Croatia to replicate their 2018 heroics and reach the latter stages of the 2022 tournament, the nation’s experienced and high-quality squad once again showcased their incredible resilience and durability to reach the semi-finals.

This is despite winning just one of their six tournament matches inside either 90 or 120 minutes, with this delivered in the form of a 4-1 thrashing of Group F whipping boys Canada. The Croats’ other two group matches (including the opener against Morocco) ended in goalless draws, before the side were held 1-1 by Japan after extra-time and subsequently prevailed via a penalty shootout.

Then came another doughty performance against tournament favourites Brazil, with a late equaliser by Bruno Petkovic in extra-time cancelling out Neymar’s superb opener at the Education City Stadium. Croatia once again prevailed in a dramatic penalty shootout, converting all four of their spot kicks to win 4-2.

However, the Croats struggled to showcase the same spirit in their semi-final against Argentina, while the lack of a clinical cutting edge prevented them from converting their dominance of possession into a genuine goal threat. Conversely, Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez shone in the final third for La Albiceleste, with the former scoring one and laying on another goal for the Manchester City striker in a 3-0 win.

📰 Latest Croatia World Cup News

☍ Morocco Preview

When Morocco dumped Portugal out of the World Cup quarterfinals thanks to a towering header by Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri, the Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first African nation to reach the tournament’s semi-finals.

This also followed on from the round of 16 win over Spain, during which Morocco held their illustrious opponents to a goalless draw after extra-time and won the subsequent penalty shootout 3-0. Achraf Hakimi’s ice-cold ‘Panenka’ sealed the win, while Spain became only the second side ever to miss all of their spot kicks during a WC shootout.

Morocco had also impressed during the group stages, displaying aggression, compact defending and high-octane counterattacking to top Group F ahead of both Croatia and Belgium. The Atlas Lions remained unbeaten during the group stage too, holding Croatia and famously beating Belgium 2-0 before sealing top spot with a 2-1 victory over Canada.

Ultimately, this heroic run came to an end against France in the semi-finals, as defensive injuries began to take their toll on the Moroccans. Theo Hernandez struck early to become the first opposition player to score against the Lions during the finals (Canada only scored via an own goal by Nayef Aguerd), and while Morocco played with enterprise and dominated much of the remaining game, a late goal by young forward Randal Kolo Muani sealed a 2-0 win for Les Bleus.

📰 Latest Morocco World Cup News

🟨 The Latest Injury News and Suspensions

Morocco entered the semi-final against France in the midst of a defensive injury crisis, with the key trio of Romain Saiss, Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui all carrying knocks.

Both Aguerd and Mazraoui were injured during the second-round win over Spain, while the commanding centre back known as the ‘Moroccan Maldini’ Saiss limped off towards the end of the 1-0 win over Portugal.

Ultimately, coach Walid Regragui rolled the dice and named all three in a back five against Les Bleus. However, this gamble backfired, with Aguerd having to pull out before the kick off and Saiss withdrawn within the opening 20 minutes.

Mazraoui also limped off against the French, and it’s hard to imagine any of these players being named in the starting lineup against the Croatians.

As for the Croats, they’ve endured minimal team disruption throughout the tournament so far, while they have no new injury concerns or suspensions to worry about here.

However, midfielder Mateo Kovacic is thought to have carried a knock throughout the second half of the tournament and may be left out against Morocco, although the talismanic Luka Modric is expected to start in what will be his final World Cup finals game.

🏆 Key Matchups

Despite the difficult and occasionally lacklustre nature of this game, both sides will be keen to win here, and we could well see some intense individual duals unfold between the competing players.

But which of these battles is likely to be the most influential? Here’s our breakdown of the top three such contests!

Sofyan Amrabat vs Luka Modric

Morocco have been incredibly compact and effective in midfield throughout the tournament, with Sofyan Amrabat especially impressive during the knockout stage.

Despite being a predominantly defensive midfielder, he carried the ball forward well and often looked to break France’s defensive lines with clever and cut forward passes during the semi-final, while his energy and willingness to track back (he even managed to halt a marauding Kylian Mbappe with a crunching tackle in the second half) will also be on show against Croatia.

Here, he’ll come up against Luka Modric, who’s now playing in an increasingly advanced role at the grand old age of 37. From here, he can take up pockets of space between the opposition’s defence and midfield, as he looks to feed forward runners and create chances for his strikers.

Amrabat will be charged with tracking Modric and preventing him from finding space in such forward areas, and this could be a fascinating battle as the match unfolds.

Josip Juranović vs Sofiane Boufal

Angers and former Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal has been one of Morocco’s unsung heroes during the World Cup, with his close control and direct running central to the Atlas Lions’ aggressive counterattacking play.

Against Croatia, he came up against the 27-year-old Celtic right back Josip Juranović, who has also impressed defensively during the World Cup and remains key to a country that has been incredibly difficult to beat throughout.

Josip Juranović has hardly got forward at will for the Croats, so he’ll most likely be focused on his defensive duties once again against Morocco, as he looks to stop Boufal from getting up a head of steam or running beyond him.

If he gets his positioning right and is able to get tight to Boufal on the Morocco left, he could help to sustain his team’s attacks while enabling them to dominate and continually recycle the ball.

Ivan Perisic vs Achraf Hakimi

Like Modric, Spurs wing back Ivan Perisic may also be playing in his final World Cup game, and he’ll be looking to go out with a bang if he starts on the left of a front three against Morocco.

However, he’ll have to do battle here with Morocco’s dynamic and skilful Achraf Hakimi, who has showcased immense restraint to defend superbly during the tournament while driving forward at every opportunity.

Both players are well-rounded and have excellent defensive and attacking skills, and each will be looking to dominate the other and drive their opponent back towards their own goal.

Ultimately, Hakimi’s youth, pace and direct running could prove critical here, and he could also provide a seminal attacking outlet for Morocco as the game progresses.

⚡ Croatia vs Morocco – The Head-to-Head Statistics

Both of these sides arrived relatively late to international football, with Morocco only gaining independence from France in March 1956 and Croatia emerging from the ashes of the former Yugoslavian republic in the early 1990s.

So, it should come as no surprise that the two sides have only met twice in their history, the most recent of which came during the group stages at this World Cup.

This game, which was contested at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, ended in a tentative but highly competitive 0-0 draw, although Morocco were undeniably the better side and one that did most of the running in the Qatar heat and humidity.

The first match between the two took place in 1996 as part of the Hassan II Trophy, as the sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw before the Croats won a thrilling penalty shootout 7-6 in Casablanca.

🥇 Croatia vs Morocco Prediction - Who Will Win?

As the Croatia vs Morocco betting odds suggest, this match is a difficult one to call, with both sides evenly matched (as showcased by their goalless draw at the beginning of the tournament) and likely to be on a considerable downer after their semi-final defeats.

However, Morocco will undoubtedly enter this match is worse shape than their opponents. After all, their incredible run will have proven more physically and emotionally draining given their style of play and relative inexperience, while conceding an early goal against France also highlighted their struggles when attempting to break down a compact and organised defence.

Similarly, three of Morocco’s first choice back four are likely to miss out against Croatia, leaving them defensively vulnerable against a wily Croatia side.

So, we’re expecting a narrow Croatia win here, in a game that’s likely to have very few goals or clear-cut chances.

Our Croatia vs Morocco match prediction: Croatia to win 1-0.

🔍 Our Croatia vs Morocco Betting Tips?

The football betting odds in play here reflect the evenly matched nature of the two competing sides, so there’s little value to be found in straight match wagering.

If you are going to tap into this market, however, consider backing Croatia to win at a price of 2.38 with either TonyBet Sports or Palm Slots Sports, while keeping an eye on the real-time odds to ensure that you get the best value for your hard-earned money!

We’d also recommending betting on both sides not to score in Al Rayyan, with neither team particularly prolific in front of goal and a single goal likely to be enough to seal third place for the victorious side.

On a similar note, you could consider betting on there being under 2.5 goals scored in the game. You can get on this market at a price of 2.06 with LeoVegas Sports, with this having the potential to deliver a decent return even on a nominal stake.

🎁 Croatia vs Morocco World Cup Free Bets

At this stage, all that’s left is to unveil some of the best World Cup free bets and promotional offers, with a large number of such bonuses available at our recommended sportsbooks.

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✒️ Lewis Humphries - Sports Journalist, Tipster and Betting Expert

This Croatia vs Morocco 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.