Croatia vs Morocco Odds & Prediction – World Cup Third Place Match
- Croatia meet Morocco on Saturday, December 17 in the 2022 World Cup third-place playoff
- Morocco’s chance of glory was ended by France, while Croatia were beaten by Argentina
- We preview Croatia vs Morocco, look at the odds, and offer some picks
It’s Croatia vs Morocco on Saturday, December 17 in the third-place playoff of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It all kicks off in the Khalifa International Stadium, at 10am ET.
Croatia missed out on a second successive final after losing to Argentina in the first semifinal while Morocco were narrowly defeated by France in semifinal 2 to end their phenomenal run in this year’s tournament.
We preview Croatia vs Morocco, look at the World Cup odds, and offer some analysis, team news, and picks below.
Croatia vs Morocco Odds
| Matchup | Moneyline | To Finish Third |
|---|---|---|
| Croatia | +135 | -140 |
| Morocco | +205 | +115 |
| Draw | +245 | N/A |
Odds as of Dec 16 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Use this DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to bet on this or other games.
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Croatia start as plus money favorites at +135 on the moneyline with an implied win probability of 43% to win in regular time, while Morocco, listed at +205, have an implied probability of 33%.
The draw after 90 minutes offers the most generous odds at +245, implied at 29%, and Croatia are odds-on favorites to finish third, including extra time and/or penalties if necessary, at -140.
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Over/Under and Spread
With neither team having been prolific scorers in the tournament, it’s no surprise that DraftKings are offering under 2.5 at just -105, while the over is also odds-on at -115. Don’t expect a goal-fest.
Croatia vs Morocco Preview
For the second consecutive World Cup, the Croatians have taken it to the final weekend but this time around they are left to battle it out for third place. Four years ago they were the beaten finalists but this shouldn’t detract from what has been another fine tournament for the men from Croatia – a small country with a population of just 3.9 million.
With an aging squad at his disposal, manager Zlatko Dalić has turned this into a positive and utilized every bit of experience from a group that contains the majority of players that went so close in 2018.
2⃣ days to go. 🇭🇷🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/M1wdmIwOR9
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) December 15, 2022
Best Midfield in the Tournament
Despite winning just one game – against Canada – Croatia held their nerve to win two penalty shoot-outs and progress to the penultimate stage of the tournament.
Their midfield trio of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic has been hailed as one of the tournament’s best, and most pundits recognize that this Croatian team has been one prolific striker away from being a great one. But it’s still been another outstanding effort and a bronze medal would be a fitting reward.
Croatia vs Morocco Head-to-Head Stats
| 12 | FIFA World Ranking | 22 |
| 1-4*-1 | 2022 World Cup Record | 3-2*-1 |
| 6.4 / 6 | xG / Goals For | 5.4 / 5 |
| 9.9 / 6 | xGA / Goals Against | 6.8 / 3 |
| 67 / 24 | Attempts on Goal / On Target | 54 / 15 |
| 87.1% | Pass Completion | 81.6% |
| DWDD*D*L | Form Guide | DWWD*WL |
* Croatia drew with Japan and Brazil – both won on penalties. Morocco drew with Spain – won on penalties.
Morocco on the Journey of a Lifetime
For Moroccans, this has been the tournament of their lives. The bookies had them down as third favorites in Group F but they qualified with ease – winning a group that also contained Belgium and Croatia. Along the way, they were supported in massive numbers with commentators describing each game as ‘like a home game in Casablanca’.
But they managed to take it to another level in the knockout phase, with wins over Spain (on penalties) and Portugal, setting up a semifinal against France – the current world champions. And while they came up just short against the French, it was another outstanding effort in a game they dominated for long periods.
𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃 🦁❤️ pic.twitter.com/FMGNjs6I0A
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) December 14, 2022
Record-Breaking Atlas Lions
This has been a record-breaking campaign for Walid Regragui’s Moroccans – the first African, Arab and predominantly Muslim country to make it to a World Cup semifinal – but with several of their players performing regularly in Europe’s top leagues, this has been no fluke. The Moroccans are here to stay.
Saturday’s game will be the second time these two teams have met in this tournament after playing each other on Group F’s opening day in a game that ended goal-less. That one was a very tight and even contest, as the stats suggest, and everything points to this one being every bit as close and tough to predict.
Croatia vs Morocco Team Lineups and Injuries
Croatia Projected Lineup: Livakovic, Juranovic, Lovren, Sutalo, Sosa, Modric, Jakic, Kovacic, Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic.
Injuries & absences: Brozovic.
Morocco Projected Lineup: Bono, Hakimi, El-Yamiq, Dari, Attiyat-Allah, Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
Injuries & absences: Aguerd, Mazraoui and Saiss.
Croatia vs Morocco Prediction
Morocco’s quest for a place in the final was badly hindered by injuries to key players – Aguerd, Mazraoui, and Saiss in particular – and none are expected to be risked in this one.
With this likely to be Modric’s farewell, I sense the Croatians’ extra experience and know-how will give them the edge, with the Moroccans running on empty, but it may need extra time to separate these two.
Picks: Draw after 90 minutes (+245) / Under 1.5 goals (+265)
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Once just a sports fanatic, fan-turned-writer Gary Gowers has been featured on European television and radio networks to discuss several professional football clubs. His work can be found in an assortment of publications like The Metro, MyFootballWriter.com, and BBC Radio Norfolk.
