Sportings

Croatia vs England
The second of the two 2018 World Cup Semi-Finals is coming up tonight when two unlikely sides in Croatia and England go toe-to-toe in a 7pm BST kick-off at the Luzhniki Stadium tonight. It will be the first time since 1998 that Croatia have reached a World Cup Semi-Final and it will be the first time since Gareth Southgate's infamous penalty miss in 1996 that his nation has qualified for a major international tournament Semi-Final.
As a Welshman, it does not pain me perhaps as much as it should to see England reach this stage of the tournament. Maybe because of what Wales did at Euro 2016 or maybe because the humility this English side is showing makes it feel like they deserve this run. I also have English blood through my grandfather which is unfortunate but one of those things!
This is undoubtedly the toughest task England have faced but it's far from the worst opponent they could have faced in the last four. I criticised Southgate for appearing to set his side up to lose that last group game against Belgium but it has worked out well for them. They've navigated their way past some decent nations but also come up against sides they have beaten without really being truly tested. Even the Colombia game felt like it was hard luck on England to go to pens.
I tipped Croatia to do well in this tournament. I pin pointed their midfield as a strength and even though I still feel we haven't seen the best of them yet they have done well to reach this stage of the competition. They have needed their star players such as Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic, and Luka Modric to shine and they have duly delivered.
Worryingly, for Zlatko Dalic's side, their defence has started to leak goals. Four goals conceded in their last three games plus the injury concern over Danijel Subasic is troubling. If Subasic is out then they must select either the 12-capped Lovre Kalinic or the single capped Dominik Livakovic. The loss of right back Sime Vrsaljko is also problematic. Compare these issues to England who come into this game with a full complement of players to choose from.
Initially, I felt that if these two nations met at this stage then Croatia would sneak. However, as the tournament has progressed I think there is more self belief and more cohesion in the England side. Croatia still feel a bit progressive and slow in their play. England are a lot more fluid in attack.
My opinion is that this won't be an enjoyable watch. There is so much at stake for these two sides that there will be great caution adopted by both sides. It's a shame because the attacking talent on display is incredible. This game could well be won and lost in midfield. If Dier and Henderson can't keep Modric and Rakitic quiet then England might have issues. I am confident England can deal with the threat out wide in Perisic and Rebic but if the threat down the middle isn't nullified then that could cause problems.
It's too close to call here. I said it before and I'll say it again here. The rest period and energy exerted by both sides up to this stage could prove crucial. Croatia have had to do things the hard way and I don't buy this whole "living off adrenaline" argument. The longer this game goes on at level pegging, the longer it will favour England. Croatia will need to start this game well otherwise they could come into problems later on. I can't call an outright I'm sorry so I'm going for under 2.5 goals and Harry Kane to score any time. If I was pushed then I think England could win it but it is likely to go into extra-time and possibly penalties.
Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.52 with MarathonBet
Harry Kane Anytime Scorer @ 2.40 with Betfair

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Russia vs Croatia
The host nation are up once again defying expectations as they face-off against Croatia in a 7pm BST kick-off on Saturday evening at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi to cap off the Quarter-Final matches this weekend. The two sides of this match will know before kick-off whether Sweden or England await them in the Semi-Final.
Russia have simply exceeded all expectations in this tournament. As the lowest ranked side in the FIFA rankings they were tipped by many, including myself, to not even make it out of the group stages. Yet here they are in the last 8 and just 270 minutes away from being the biggest surprise World Cup winners. Right now, it feels like anything is possible in this tournament!
Croatia are still on course to match their best World Cup finish. That was initially achieved in 1998 with the likes of Davor Suker, Robert Prosinecki, and Slaven Bilic. Twenty years on and there is growing support for this Croatian side to go all the way. Players such as Luka Modric, Dejan Lovren, Danijel Subasic, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, and Mateo Kovacic have been doing the business so far. It's well and truly on.
My gut instinct is that this game is one too far for Russia. Fair play to Stanislav Cherchesov's team, they have gone far further than many of us anticipated. Yes, they have had some luck... I mean, VAR was a central controversy in that win over Spain in the last 16. On another day, they might not have been so lucky. Still, every World Cup winner has stated you need luck to progress in a World Cup.
I really like this Croatia side. I think they have a decent head coach in Zlatko Dalic, it is the best crop of players for a generation, and they have shown the fight to get this far even without really playing to their full potential. They are going to click against somebody soon. It could happen here.
The combination of Croatia being due an excellent performance and the emotional exhaustion Russia endured in that famous win on penalties over Spain in the last 16 means I think Croatia will take the win here. It could be a workmanlike display that sees them grind out a single goal win or they could win it comfortably. I'm not sure. I am just backing a low-scoring game with the Russians involved and I'm not entirely sure Russia will score.
Croatia to win @ 2.25 with BetStars
BTTS "No" @ 1.72 with Marathonbet