Outright Odds: sixty six/one
Team F Winners: six/1
Croatia enter their 3rd successive finals and can seek out a repeat from the heroics of 1998 instead of the humiliation of 2002. They topped a tricky qualifying group which bundled Bulgaria and Hungary and remained unbeaten in excess of 10 matches which bundled residence and absent victories about fellow qualifiers Sweden.
Below manager Zlatko Kranjcar Croatia are another group to how neutrals will try to remember them from their 1998 exploits which noticed them get to the semi-final. Gone are flair gamers for instance Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki and previous Golden Boot Davor Suker. 모바일카지노 They are actually replaced by additional functional gamers like the Kovac brothers, Marko Babic and Dado Prso.
Like fellow qualifiers Serbia & Montenegro, Croatias accomplishment stemmed from a solid defence wherever they held 6 clean up sheets in ten game titles and conceded just 5 targets in the procedure.
Another strength is often a amount of the current Croatia squad are located in the Bundesliga, with Josip Simunic and Niko Kovac at Hertha Berlin, Babic dependent at Bayer Leverkusen and Ivan Klasnic contracted to Werder Bremen.
Croatia have unearthed a talent in midfielder Dario Srna who has made a knack for scoring crucial objectives. The Shakhtar Donetsk participant scored each targets in the two 1-0 wins in excess of Sweden during the defining matches with the group.
Vital striker Dado Prso scored 5 targets in qualifying, his countrys joint major scorer with Srna. He burst into prominence when he netted 4 aims for Monaco during the 8-3 Champions League thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna. He manufactured his Worldwide debut 8 months prior to the match but has since develop into an automatic selection in attack.
Croatia have absent with regards to their business enterprise quietly and confidently and Irrespective of their unbeaten qualification attempts, will continue to be unfancied by a lot of to make any effect inside the finals. That may match them fantastic as previous mentor Mirko Jozic blamed the tension on the class of 1998 for the dismal failure from the 2002 squad which noticed them reduce one-0 to Ecuador of their closing match.
Eventually, they confront favourites Brazil inside their opening match so will never have to worry about facing the reigning champions in the crunch group decider. If they will take anything at all from that activity they will be in pole position to reaching the 2nd round.
Advised Wager
Despite the evident toughness of your group, Croatia are in excess of capable of qualifying from it offered their recent showings in qualifying for that finals. With among the list of meanest defences in Europe and a bunch of gamers plying their trade in Germany These are a sound bet to follow Brazil into the last sixteen.
Croatia to qualify from Group File @ 5/six