Croatia v Greece Matched Betting Tips

Croatia v Greece matched betting tips for FIFA World Cup 2018 Play-Off 1st Leg match at Maksimir on Thursday 9th November. Read the match preview and predictions for Croatia v Greece matched betting tips.

A 0-2 win away to Ukraine wasn’t enough for Croatia who finished a below-par second to Iceland in Group I. Greece on the other hand, arguably overperformed and pipped Bosnia-Herzegovina to finish runners-up behind Belgium in Group H.

Croatia Team News

Head coach Zlatko Dalić will have been pleased with his side’s performance away to Ukraine and will be looking for more of the same here. Defender Vedran Ćorluka is out injured and Milan Badelj has withdrawn from the squad. That could see Marcelo Brozović  come in alongside Ivan Rakitic in midfield. Mario Mandžukić is likely to start up-front, keeping Nikola Kalinić on the bench.

Greece Team News

With the visitors likely to be on the back foot, manager Michael Skibbe is likely to pack the midfield for this one. With Petros Mantalos missing, Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris is set to return to the side. It will be a tough night for lone striker Kostas Mitroglou who will need to make the most of any chances he is afforded.

Croatia v Greece Team Predictions

Croatia 4-2-3-1 Formation: Subasic; Vrsaljko, Lovren, Mitrovic, Vida; Brozović, Rakitic; Perisic, Modric, Kramaric; Mandzukic

Greece 4-5-1 Formation: Karnezis; Stafylidis, Papadopuolos, Sokratis, Torosidis; Fortuonis, Christodoulopoulos, Tachtsidis, Samaris, Zeca; Mitroglou

Croatia v Greece betting stats for the last ten games:

• Croatia – won 4, drawn 3 and lost 3
• Greece – won 4, drawn 4 and lost 2
• Croatia have scored an average of 0.9 goals and conceded an average of 0.9 goals per game
• Greece have scored an average of 1.3 goals and conceded an average of 0.6 goals per game
• There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 2 of Croatia’s previous 10 matches
• There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 3 of Greece’s previous 10 matches

Croatia v Greece Goalscorer

Croatia Leading Scorers

M Mandžukić – played 10, scored 5, first goal 2
M Brozović- played 9, scored 2, first goal 1
A Kramarić – played 9, scored 2, first goal 1

Greece Leading Scorers

K Mitroglou – played 8, goals 6, first goal 3
V Torosidis – played 8, goals 3, first goals 2
Zeca – played 6, goals 1, first goal 0

Croatia v Greece Predictions

It goes without saying that Croatia have a far better pool of players than Greece in terms of individual quality. However, that hasn’t really counted for much as they’ve largely struggled to put the ball in the back of the net, which is why they find themselves in this situation.

Greece are known for their defensive solidity and hard work off the ball. They were the only team to avoid defeat against Belgium, following a 1-1 draw with the runaway Group H winners in Piraeus.

Croatia go into this match as heavy favourites but it won’t be straightforward. The hosts have a brilliant home record, with no defeat on home soil since 2013. However, Greece arrive having lost just one of their last thirteen World Cup qualifiers away from home. Goals will be at a premium here and the prediction is Croatia to edge it, 1-0.