Monday 23/06/2014, 22:00, World Cup Group A, Croatia vs Mexico

Croatia vs Mexico Betting Preview

This is the match that is very likely to decide the name of the team that will join Brazil in the elimination round, as Croatia and Mexico are credited with a decent chance at finishing second. Regardless of what happens in the match played against the South Americans, these two teams will need to collect three points against each other. The Europeans have a slight edge over Mexico, due to a better midfield and a slightly more consistent backline, but they could easily be overwhelmed.

Croatia vs Mexico Betting Odds

At Bet365

Croatia 2.40, Draw 3.25, Mexico 3.00

Croatia vs Mexico Betting Tips

Mexico qualified to the group stage of the World Cup 2014 with relative ease and had plenty of time to prepare for the main event. As a result, they played several friendly games and after consecutive draws, they claimed back-to-back victories over Israel and Ecuador. More worrisome are the narrow margin defeats to Portugal and Bosnia-Herzegovina, teams that have also traveled to Brazil for the World Cup.

Their inability to score against tight defensive teams is the biggest challenge ahead of this game, despite having three quality strikers. Hernandez, Santos and Peralta could be used simultaneously against both Cameroon and Croatia, but they failed to deliver results in the last friendly games.

By comparison, Croatia has fewer options upfront and is guaranteed to start with Mario Mandzukic, for as long as he stays fit. Eduardo is the other option and if the Europeans fail to take an early lead against Mexico, it is quite possible to see them playing side-by-side.

The qualification campaign didn't go as planned for Croatia, who finished second in a group that they were expected to win. Luckily for them, Iceland didn't pose any problems in the double legged playoffs, but they need to step up their offensive efforts to advance at the expense of Mexico and Cameroon.

Key Facts

• Croatia didn't lose a match in more than seven months and scored an average of 1.5 games over the span.
• The two teams met three times and Croatia won't twice, but Mexico emerge victorious in the only match played at the World Cup.

Croatia vs Mexico Betting Odds Prediction

Bold punters have a good opportunity to enjoy some return on investment by backing Croatia to win the final game of the group stage. At the time of writing, the odds sit at 2.40 with Bet365, which is great value but there are of course some risks to take into consideration. Risk-averse players can settle for odds that revolve around 1.80 for a Draw no Bet wager, which returns the stakes if the game ends inconclusive.

Bet: Croatia @ 2.40 with Bet365