Expert Picks

Belgium has been a major disappointment through the first two games in Qatar. The Red Devils beat Canada in the opener but were outshot 22-9, then suffered a 2-0 setback against Morocco. Croatia dominated the Canadians on Sunday, recording 10 shots on target in a 4-1 victory. The Croats made it to the final in 2018, and they know they need a result to guarantee a spot in the next round. Belgium may be the higher ranked team in this matchup, but the Croats are the far better side. I love the value we’re getting at +170.

If you watched the last two Belgium picks, you know you should be cautious if betting on them. While they lost 2-0 to a much weaker Morocco side, Croatia rolled to a 4-1 win against a Canadian side that also outplayed Belgium. On top of this, problems off the pitch are arising for the Belgians, with multiple players fighting and publicly shaming each other for the poor performances. If Croatia plays half as well as they did against Canada, they'll take care of business and get the win to guarantee their spot in the knockout stage.