FIFA World Cup: Morocco vs. Croatia Odds & Recap
Croatia Primed for Another Run
âš½Morocco vs Croatia: Game Recapâš½
Results: Morocco 0 – 0 Croatia
Morocco and Croatia played out to a 0-0 draw in their opening World Cup match in Qatar.
The first half saw a lack of chances in front of the goal from either side, with Morocco’s backline proving challenging to pass through their low block.
It took 45 minutes for the first shot on target, thanks to Nicola Vlasic. The Croatian provided his team with their best effort on goal after getting on the end of a pass and hitting a first-time shot, which forced a brilliant diving save from Morocco goalkeeper Bono.
Croatia came knocking on the door in the second half’s early stages, with Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat blocking an effort on the line from Dejan Lovren’s attempted shot.
Morocco looked dangerous on the counter-attack in the second half of the game but failed to create many chances. Right-back Achraf Hakimi fired a ferocious free-kick straight at Dominik Livakovic, only for him to palm the ball away.
Overall, both sides didn’t offer much going forward and will be pleased with the point earned from the game.
In what turned out to be a scoreless affair, Croatia was the favorite going into the match, paying out -115. Morocco was the significant underdog at +350, with a draw paying +230. Fortunately, those who bet on a draw woke up to a surprise after the match! The over/under for goals came in at two goals paying -130 for the over and +115 for the under. I would love to see the stats on who bets on a draw AND the under for this match.
 Morrocco | – |  Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| 35% | Possession | 65% |
| 7 | Total Shots | 5 |
| 2 | Shots on Target | 2 |
| 0 | Shots Wide | 2 |
| 5 | Shots Blocked | 1 |
| 1 | Saves | 2 |
| 0 | Corners | 5 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 17 | Fouls | 11 |
| 0 | Offsides | 1 |
| 78% | Pass Accuracy | 86% |
| 2 | Dribbles | 5 |
| 8 | Crosses | 18 |
| 21 | Tackles | 17 |
Were We On the Right Track?
Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on November 16, 2022.
Intriguing Group F Gets Underway
While there are two clear favorites to advance, the FIFA World Cup’s Group F is an intriguing one. Croatia and Belgium are two of the international game’s best sides. That means their group stage meeting will be one of the best matches in the early stages of the competition. With an upstart Canada and dangerous Morocco also in Group F, perhaps there could be some upsets. Morocco will try to pull one off vs. the 2018 World Cup runners up in the Group F opener on Wednesday as The Atlas Lions take on Croatia. We’ll take a look at the Morocco vs. Croatia odds and preview the match.
Morocco vs. Croatia
Date, time (TV):
Location: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar
Streaming: FS1, Telemundo, Peacock
Team Standings and Odds:
| Team | FIFA World Ranking | World Cup Qualifying Record | Odds to Advance | Odds to Win Group | Odds to Win World Cup |
| Morocco | 22 | 7-1-0, 1st CAF Group I | +230 | +1000 | +20000 |
| Croatia | 12 | 7-2-1, 1st UEFA Group H | -280 | +225 | +5000 |
| All Meetings: | Teams |
|---|---|
| Dec. 1996: | Morocco 2-2 Croatia |
Morocco and Croatia’s only previous meeting came in the 1996 Hassan II Trophy semifinals. After a 2-2 draw, Croatia won 7-6 on penalties to advance to the final. The FIFA odds price Croatia as favorites in this World Cup group stage clash.
Morocco Getting Overlooked
- Upcoming Matches: Nov. 27 vs. Belgium, Dec. 1 vs. Canada
Morocco come into the World Cup having made a coaching change in August. With Walid Regragui in charge, star winger Hakim Ziyech is now back in the national team fold. Ziyech was left out of the Morocco side at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. Without the Chelsea talisman, the Atlas Lions lost to Egypt in the quarterfinals. Since Regragui was hired, Morocco have kept two clean sheets in as many matches vs. two South American sides.
The World Cup betting odds price Morocco at just +230 odds to advance to the round of 16. However, they have a lot of talent on the roster and a particularly solid defense.
Expect to see some combination of Romain Saiss, Nayef Aguerd, Noussair Mazraoui and Achraf Hakimi across the back line. Sofyan Amrabat is key for the Atlas Lions in midfield. Meanwhile, Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri are solid attacking weapons.
Yes, Belgium and Croatia are expected to go through but Morocco have a well-rounded team. At the very least, they’ll expect to improve on their performance from 2018. Morocco drew vs. Spain but lost to both Iran and Portugal. Their best chance to pick up points will come on December 1st vs. Canada. However, don’t be surprised if they can pull off a result in one of their other matches.
Can Croatia Reach the Heights of 2018?
- Upcoming Matches: Nov. 27 vs. Canada, Dec. 1 vs. Belgium
All is well for Croatia heading into Qatar 2022. They closed out their UEFA Nations League campaign with four straight wins to win League A, Group 1. Luka Modric is still an elite player at the ripe old age of 37 and the midfield around him is excellent. Mateo Kovacic has dealt with injuries but the Chelsea man can help fill the big shoes that Ivan Rakitic left behind. Swiss army knife Ivan Perisic is an invaluable member of the side as well.
Croatia also have a solid defense but it’s questionable whether they can score enough goals vs. top teams. In four matches vs. France and Denmark in the UEFA Nations League, Croatia scored 1.25 goals per game. With solid defensive performances, they went 3-1-0 in these matches but they may not always be so fortunate.
While they lack a prolific striker, Andrej Kramaric does have 19 career international goals. It’s likely one of Croatia’s forwards will need to step up for them to have a chance to make another run.
It’s not expected that they’ll get to another final but the Vatreni are one of the tournament’s better teams. The Morocco vs. Croatia odds favor Croatia in their first match and that should also be the case vs. Canada.
Match Analysis and Odds:
Wednesday’s Morocco vs. Croatia odds list Croatia as ½-goal favorites. Their ATS and moneyline odds are the same, at -105. Morocco are actually viewed as more likely to cover the spread and manage a win or draw. The Atlas Lions show -115 odds ATS but are priced at +350 odds to win the match.
The only other time these soccer teams met, back in 1996, they drew. Another one sits at +230 odds and it wouldn’t necessarily be the worst result for either team.
Even though Croatia are favored, don’t expect Morocco to roll over. The Atlas Lions have the personnel to be able to weather the storm and they’ll begin to believe they can win the match if they can head into halftime all square.
Goals are expected in the match despite both sides’ solid defensive records. Over two goals comes in at -135 odds while under two goals shows +115 odds. Somewhat contradictorily, both teams to score is implied to be more unlikely than not. A no bet on BTTS sits at -145 odds.
