The 2022 World Cup is back with a pair of exciting quarterfinal matchups Friday following a two-day break in play. The winners go on to play each other in a semifinal on Tuesday. If the chalk prevails, it will set up a South American semifinal between Brazil and Argentina, a potential matchup fans have been salivating over in recent days. Let’s dive into the best World Cup bets with our predictions for Croatia-Brazil and Netherlands-Argentina.
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World Cup Odds: Croatia-Brazil Prediction and Odds
| Croatia Moneyline | +800 |
| Brazil Moneyline | -275 |
| Draw Moneyline | +400 |
| Over/Under 2.5 Total Goals | Over: -130, Under: +105 |
| Location | Education City Stadium, Ar Rayyan, Qatar |
| Time | 10 AM ET |
| TV | FOX |
Alisson to Hold Croatia Silent
Friday starts off with Croatia-Brazil, a match also witnessed at the World Cup in 2006 and 2014; Brazil was victorious on each occasion. Despite finishing as runner-up in 2018, Croatia is the long favorites here with moneyline odds of +800.
In fairness, the Vatreni are quite lucky to have actually made it this far. If Romelu Lukaku could have converted just once on his xG of 1.7 for Belgium on Matchday 3, it might have sent Croatia packing. Furthermore, you probably will not see many poorer penalty performances than Japan had in the Round of 16. Croatia was pushed to the end by the Samurai Blue and was only bailed out by its experience on the big stage.
Brazil will not be that forgiving. The Seleção Canarinho are the favorites in this tournament and rightfully so. Ignoring their Matchday 3 loss to Cameroon, with a massively rotated team, Brazil has been incredible so far. It has the jogo bonito, the goals are flowing, and Alisson looks incredible in net. Expect Brazil to advance here, but it could be pushed to the end by Croatia.
In turn, the more valuable World Cup bet is going to be on Brazil keeping a clean sheet (-110). Alisson had been diamonds in net for Brazil, already keeping two clean sheets with a save percentage of over 83%. Croatia’s attack is dull and will not put up much of a fight against the Brazil back line.
Another World Cup bet to like is Richarlison to score a goal with odds of +150. He has the second longest odds to score behind Neymar, despite three goals already at the World Cup. His goal per 90 ratio of 1.13 makes this a standout play for Friday.
Final Croatia-Brazil Picks: Brazil Clean Sheet (-110, DraftKings)
Richarlison to score (+150, DraftKings)
World Cup Odds: Netherlands-Argentina Prediction and Odds
| Netherlands Moneyline | +260 |
| Argentina Moneyline | +125 |
| Draw Moneyline | +220 |
| Over/Under 2.5 Total Goals | Over: +140, Under: -175 |
| Location | Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar |
| Time | 2 PM ET |
| TV | FOX |
Messi and Argentina to Cruise Past the Netherlands
The next World Cup bet is in the Netherlands-Argentina match, which also has the prospect of being quite exciting. These nations have plenty of history, having played each other on nine occasions, including five times at the World Cup. While the Netherlands has lost to Argentina in regular time only once, something feels shaky about this Dutch team.
Against the United States, it was far too open in the back and a better team would have taken the chances. On top of that, the three goals were more a tactical masterpiece than impressive finishing. The Dutch hammered the flanks using Denzel Dumfries, and the United States was punished for its undisciplined positioning. Louis van Gaal will have to have a new approach against Argentina.
Argentina has an extremely strong defense, having conceded 1.3 xG in four World Cup games. In turn, it is hard to see how the Netherlands outscores an Argentina attack that has produced very consistently.
The Lionel Messi factor surely plays a part in this game too. He is getting a goal or assist per 90 minutes in Qatar, and is the force behind this team and country. Do not see his 2022 World Cup journey ending yet, which is why riding with the Argentina moneyline at +125 is the play. This is a bit risky as it is a regular time pick, but anytime you can get plus odds on Argentina, it is worth a shot.
Final Netherlands-Argentina Pick: Argentina Moneyline (+125, DraftKings)
