Croatia v Canada free betting tips and predictions: Canucks to cause upset

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Croatia v Canada in the World Cup on Sunday.

Where to watch

BBC One, 4pm Sunday

Best bet

Canada
1pt 11-4 bet365, Betfred, Boyles

Canada produced a strong performance in their opener against Belgium and a repeat display may see them get the better of Croatia, who were easily nullified by Morocco in their opening match.

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Match preview

Canada showed that finishing in top spot in Concacaf qualifying was no fluke as they outplayed Belgium in their opening match, where poor finishing, a missed penalty and some questionable refereeing decisions saw them lose 1-0.

Now John Herdman’s men take on Croatia as they look to convert good performances into what would be the nation’s first points at a World Cup.

Their opponents played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Morocco in their opener and will have to improve on that showing if they are to qualify for the knockout stage.

The finalists from four years ago were successfully nullified by aggressive off-the-ball work from Morocco and Canada demonstrated many of the same attributes in their display against Belgium.

The Canucks registered 22 shots against the Red Devils and racked up an expected-goals tally of 2.4 without scoring, mainly due to a lack of composure in the final third.

Better finishing would almost certainly have seen Herdman’s team take all three points against a disjointed Belgium and they are not to be underestimated by Croatia.

The European side have been in good form since losing 3-0 to Austria in June, winning five of their last seven including victories over France and Denmark.

However they lacked a creative spark against Morocco with Luka Modric having to operate in increasingly deep areas and struggling to exert his usual control over the match as a result.

Zlatko Dalic’s men managed just five shots in that clash and failed to produce an effective backup plan once their usual game had been negated.

With Belgium in their final group match, Croatia will be keen not to go into that tie requiring a win.

If Canada can produce a repeat of the performance that saw them outplay one of the top sides in Europe, Belgium, then they should be able to get a decent result against another of Uefa’s best teams.

While they may lack the star names of their opponents, the Canucks are well-organised and are effective pressers, a method which has proved exceptionally effective for underdogs in this tournament.

Croatia did not show enough going forward against Morocco to inspire confidence in their chances, and with an improvement in Canadian finishing expected, the North Americans can claim a shock victory.

Key stat

Croatia managed just five shots in their opening match against Morocco

Team news

Croatia
Nikola Vlasic came off at half-time against Morocco but has been in training and should feature.

Canada
John Herdman has no injury concerns following their match against Belgium.

Probable teams

Croatia (4-3-3) Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic

Canada (3-4-3) Borjan; Johnston, Vitoria, Miller; Laryea, Hutchinson, Eustaquio, Davies; Buchanan, David, Hoilett

Inside info

Croatia

Top scorer in probable team Ivan Perisic
Star player Luka Modric
Penalty taker Luka Modric
Assist ace Ivan Perisic
Set-piece aerial threat Josko Gvardiol
Card magnet Marcelo Brozovic

Canada

Top scorer in probable team Jonathan David
Star player Alphonso Davies
Penalty taker Jonathan David/Alphonso Davies
Assist ace Alphonso Davies
Set-piece aerial threat Steven Vitoria
Card magnet Steven Vitoria

Croatia v Canada Bet Builder

Jonathan David to score at anytime Jonathan David has 22 goals in 36 games for his country
Canada or draw double chance Canada were unlucky not to get anything from Belgium and amassed an expected-goals tally of 2.4
Luka Modric to have two or more shots Luka Modric is averaging almost two shots per 90 minutes for Real Madrid this season

Price guide 5-1