Croatia vs. Belgium: 2022 World Cup Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions (Thursday)

Groups E and F saw shocking results on Thursday, which means seven of the eight teams can still qualify for the Knockout Stage, and no team has advanced. After beating Germany, Japan somehow lost 1-0 to Costa Rica, a team that had just lost 7-0. Yet the biggest shocker may have been Group F favorite Belgium and their total lack of offense which led to their 2-0 loss to Morocco.

Here are our top picks for Thursday’s World Cup action. And let’s take a closer look at Croatia vs. Belgium.

2022 World Cup Betting Picks & Predictions: Croatia vs. Belgium

Group F: Croatia vs. Belgium (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; 6 p.m.)

Pre-tournament, Croatia and Belgium were the favorites to advance from Group F, and yet, there is almost no chance that both teams make it out of the group. Croatia is definitely in a better spot than Belgium, as a tie in this match would send them on to the next round.

Belgium could advance with a tie, but they would need Canada to beat Morocco by a lot, which seems wholly unlikely. The Belgians will need to find their offense to win this one, which is something they haven’t done in this tournament. Against Morocco, they had 10 shots and three on net, but they couldn’t find a goal.

After a 0-0 draw against Morocco, the Croatians scored four times against Canada. If their offense continues to play at that level, they will run away from Belgium and send them home early.

One bit of good news for Belgium: Romelo Lukaku did see playing time late in their loss to Morocco. If he can play meaningful minutes against Croatia, then that could wake up the Belgian offense.

Pick: Both Teams to Score No Draw (+170 DraftKings Sportsbook)

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Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.