Croatia looked troubled when losing 3-0 at home to Austria at the beginning of June, although mitigating circumstances were at play considering that fixture came hard on the heels of the domestic program of fixtures ending. A 1-1 draw with France followed that game before a succession of wins which means they head into the 2022 World Cup with lots of confidence.
Zlatko Dalic’s side have twice beaten Denmark along with victories over the French and Austria, with Luka Modric now having earned over 150 caps for his country and the Real Madrid midfielder continues to pull the strings. Ivan Perisic is another star who has earned a century of appearances and this team look tough to beat.
Croatia certainly look a better value bet than Belgium to win Group F. The Belgians start off with a facile opener against Canada, although Roberto Martinez’s side don’t appear as strong as they were four years ago. Eden Hazard has an injury-hit period and the defence appears ready to creak.
Morocco could be dark horses to qualify and look to be a relatively strong African side, while the Canadians will be determined not to make up the numbers although they’re big outsiders when it comes to the Group F winner and Group F to qualify betting market.