StevieDay1983 Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 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 Sportings 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allyhibs Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Croatia, please be Croatia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gedkip Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 On 7/8/2018 at 12:15 PM, Gedkip said: FRANCE TO WIN 2018 WORLD CUP I predict France vs Croatia Finals France are in this world cup to prove their best having reached Euro finals, which they lost narrowly to Portugal. They have worked hard to reach this point, and they will definitely redeem themselves this time round . FRANCE TO WIN 2018 WORLD CUP Almost there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiffy Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Best bet for me in this tournament was last nights free in play bet with B365. As soon as England scored, Croatia went to 8/1 to qualify, so I had my free tenner on that. I was hoping that my bet would lose, but it would be a small consolation if it didn't. Anyway, off to buy a new waistcoat today with my winnings, see they are going cheap in Mr Buyrights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynecoyne Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 same here tiffy-had £25 freebet on the draw at 3/1 after england scored with b365, cashed out the supremacy when 1 up and still lost on the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gedkip Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 On 7/11/2018 at 11:30 PM, Gedkip said: Almost there France won Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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