Russia vs Croatia Free World Cup Picks and Quarterfinals Odds

by Guy Bruhn - 7/2/2018

World Cup Quarterfinals

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Fisht Stadium

Russia will take on Croatia at Fisht Stadium in a Quarterfinals matchup on Saturday, July 7, 2018. The opening line for this World Cup matchup has Russia at +286 and Croatia at +130. The total opened at 2.

World Cup hosts Russia will look to keep their dream run going against Croatia in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Russia was able to pull off a shock shootout result over Spain in the round of 16, while Croatia defeated Denmark to advance, also on penalties. Croatia are the favorites in this match, but by now everyone will be expecting the hosts to put up a good fight in front of their home support.

Russia

Russia's strong defensive showings throughout the World Cup have shown that they can be a tough matchup for anyone in this tournament. Croatia has excellent midfielders that can beat a defensive setup, but Russia will be prepared for every type of creative pass. If Russia can keep the score low and can create at least a few good chances in the game, they have a chance to make it to the semifinals and make the home crowd go crazy again.

Artem Dzyuba

The big striker has consistently shown up for his country during this tournament, and scored the crucial goal against Spain that eventually forced overtime and then penalties. He probably won't get a lot of chances against Croatia, but you can be sure that he will put himself in great positions for when Russia's midfielders find their opportunities to cross the ball into the box.

Aleksandr Golovin

The 22-year-old creative midfielder continues to show why so many big clubs are going after him this summer. He's the player who can dribble past the Croatian defense when his team needs him to, and he seems to be part of every good thing that happens for his team's offense. Golovin will be an important attacking presence as per usual for Russia, but he'll also need to track back and keep Croatia's midfield from controlling the tempo.

Croatia

Croatia played arguably their worst game of the World Cup against Denmark last round, yet they were still able to pull off the win thanks to some solid defensive play. If they can get their attack back on track, they should be able to break Russia's pesky defense down during this game. They do have one of the best midfields remaining in the tournament, so they will want to get it to those players' feet early and often to keep the pressure on the hosts.

Ivan Rakitic

The 30-year-old star midfielder wasn't as involved in the Denmark game as he would have wanted to be, so expect him to be extra motivated to do some damage against Russia. He should pop up all over the place in Croatia's midfield and he will not be shy about taking some shots from outside of the box.

Danijel Subasic

After his heroics against Denmark in the shootout, the 33-year-old keeper will be looking to keep the momentum going in this matchup against Russia. Croatia's defense should be able to limit Russia's shots, but Subasic will need to deal will Russia's size whenever they get chances around the box.

Key Russia Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Croatia Injuries

No key injuries to report

Who will win tonight's Russia/Croatia World Cup game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Croatia +130

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Russia vs Croatia World Cup Picks and Predictions 7/7/2018

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