Argentina vs Croatia Free World Cup Picks and Group D Odds

by Josh Schonwald - 6/15/2018

World Cup Group D

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium

Argentina will take on Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in a Group D matchup on Thursday, June 21, 2018. The opening line for this World Cup matchup has Argentina at +138 and Croatia at +200. The total opened at 2.25.

Both teams are expected to make it out of this group, but this game is still huge since there's a great chance that the winner will end up at the top of the group. Argentina comes in as a slight favorite, but this match between two very well-rounded teams is pretty much a toss-up.

Argentina

Argentina will know going into this matchup that Croatia has some problems in its defense. They will look to use their strong four-man attacking brigade to punch through that weakness and shoot often. If they get their chances, which they should, they could cause Croatia a lot of problems. However, Argentina also has some defensive weaknesses, so I'll be interesting to see if they're able to dictate play against a very strong Croatian midfield. Head coach Jorge Sampaoli has had a bit of a tough time creating an identity for his team, so we'll see if they can come up with a good plan against their toughest matchup in Group D.

Giovani Lo Celso

The PSG midfielder has put in a lot of work to become a solid defensive-minded midfielder over the last couple of years. His job will be to stop Croatia's talented midfielders in their tracks while also marking some of their top players. He'll also be tasked with picking out good passes to Argentina's top attacking players.

Willy Caballero

The veteran keeper has a tough task on his hands against these creative Croatians. They like to put the ball into the box from every angle, so he will need to be on his toes and make the tough saves for his team to have a chance. Caballero is also a solid passer of the ball himself and will be looking to start the counter attack when he gets the ball in his hands.

Croatia

Head coach Zlatko Dalic is going to have his hands full with this high-paced attack from Argentina, so he will have a tough decision to make when it comes to formations and personnel. His latest big decision - moving start player Luka Modric further up in the attack - has worked out so far, but he might need to make more tweaks to win this game. Regardless of the final possession numbers, it's almost a given that Croatia will create high-quality scoring chances with the creative players they have all over the pitch.

Danijel Subasic

When your team is facing an attack that includes Lionel Messi, you know that your keeper is going to have to step up big time if you're going to have a chance. The 33-year-old has nearly 40 appearances for Croatia and has been the team's number one keep

Ivan Perisic

Perisic hasn't scored many goals for Croatia in recent years, but he is always a threat when he's on the ball. He is an excellent crosser with both feet and he is quick and creative enough to beat any of Argentina's defenders one on one.

Key Argentina Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Croatia Injuries

No key injuries to report

Who will win tonight's Argentina/Croatia World Cup game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Croatia +200

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Argentina vs Croatia Group D World Cup Picks & Predictions 6/21/2018

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