France (0 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws) welcomes Croatia (1-1-1) to Stade de France in Paris Monday. Kickoff for the 4th of 6 group stage games is set for 2:45 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the France vs. Croatia odds and lines, and make our best UEFA Nations League bets, picks and predictions.
The 2 global soccer powerhouses will highlight just a handful of premier games in this round of the group stage. Surprisingly, both teams sit 3rd and 4th in League A Group 1 play.
France has just 2 points while Croatia is tied with Austria at 4 points. Croatia has a minus-2 goal differential though while Austria’s is 2. Denmark leads the group with 6 points.
Croatia is led by superstar M Luka Modrić who is coming off a Champions League title with Real Madrid. Croatia’s problem has been scoring, having totaled just 2 goals in 3 games.
Croatia, ranked 16th in the world by FIFA, has already qualified for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. No. 3 France has also qualified and is among the favorites to win the tournament.
France is led by Atletico Madrid F Antoine Griezmann and Real Madrid F Karim Benzema. PSG F Kylian Mbappe is also one of the team’s top players. They’ve drawn Austria and Croatia 1-1 while losing to Denmark 2-1.
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France vs. Croatia odds, lines, picks and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 11:48 p.m. ET.
- Money line: France -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Croatia +550 (bet $100 to win $550) | Draw +330
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
[tipico]
Prediction
France 2, Croatia 0
Money line (ML)
LEAN FRANCE (-200).
France is the far superior side, and they’ll be at home. My concern here is the value on France at -200. They haven’t looked great despite playing several of their top-tier players.
Against Austria, France had more than double the shots on goal and had more than double the shots against Denmark, who beat them 2-1. Even Croatia played them well but only drew by a penalty kick.
France has the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or in Benzema and also one of the best defensive mids in the world in Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté. The team is deep and has a plethora of top European talent.
Considering Croatia has only scored 2 goals in 3 games, I expect those struggles to continue while France, given the pace of Mbappe and Benzema should be enough to get on the board enough to take home 3 points.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (+100).
Both teams have struggled to produce. Also, both sides are 1-2 O/U so far in the nations league. Croatia held Denmark, who scored 2 on France, to just 1 shot on goal in the road side’s most recent matchup.
France has allowed 4 goals but also has limited opponents shot on target.
There were 10 shots on target in the first matchup between these 2 teams. The possessions were split 48% Croatia to 52% France, so it was a well-paced battle.
With how the teams have played so far in the group stage, the Under 2.5 (+100) is the best bet in this game.
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