The Last World Cup Semifinalists to be Decided Today
Published July 7, 2018 by Florin P
Sweden, England, Russia and Croatia fight for a place in the World Cup 2018 Semifinals after late game drama in the phase of Last 16.
During the stage of Last 16 football fans have witnessed the most exciting games at World Cup 2018. Russia caused the biggest upset by sending Spain home at penalties and both England and Croatia needed penalty kicks to advance. Sweden was the only team to win in regulation time, with a narrow victory over Switzerland. Now these four teams play in the last two quarterfinals, to set up an epic confrontation in the semifinals next week. Bet365 sports offers tempting odds on both matches scheduled on Saturday.
Croatia Meets the Home Team in the Last Quarterfinal
Croatia is credited with the first chance, despite playing against the team hosting World Cup 2018. Their performance against Denmark left a lot to be desired, but punters still fondly remember their games in the group stage. Bet365 sports offers odds of 23/10 of Croatia to cause a heartbreak among the home fans watching the game in Sochi. They only have Kalinic missing as he was sent home early after refusing to play against Nigeria. Mandzukic is expected to spend more time in the spotlight after mediocre games.
Russia will have the support of its fans and are expected to put up a fierce fight against Croatia. They did play defensive football against Spain, but are likely to take more chances in this match. Zhirkov is likely to miss from the starting formation as he is mending a knee injury, but all other players are fit to play. The hosts are not to be underestimated and punters can take advantage of odds of 3/1 on their victory. A low-scoring match is also in the books and the odds on the game to end undecided are only 2/1.
England Takes on Sweden With Some Key Players Doubtful
Bet365 sports only offers even odds on England to win the match in regulation time. They needed extra time and then a penalty shootout to advance at the expense of Colombia, after the South Americans leveled the score in the last minute. They played better in the first half, but their games sank as the match advanced and were not far from elimination. Vardy will be missing and a few more players are doubtful, after they spend 120 minutes on the pitch in the quarterfinals.
Sweden played defensive football against Germany and took more chances in the games against South Korea and Mexico. They won three games at World Cup 2018 and lost in the last minute of overtime against Germany. All their victories were secured without conceding a goal, including the 1:0 triumph over Switzerland. They’ve got strong players, extremely dangerous from corner kicks and free kicks, so it’s worth considering a bet on them not to lose in regulation time at odds of 4/5 with Bet365 sports.
