Czech Republic v Croatia Betting Preview – Euro 2016, 17th June
It is the Czech Republic who need to do all of the running in this one. They lost 1-0 against Spain, suffering a heart-breaking late goal in the match against the reigning European Champions. So they have to run the gauntlet and get three points on the board here to try and stay alive. Croatia, thanks to a wonder strike from Luka Modric, opened with a 1-0 win over Turkey in Group D and therefore have a bit of a cushion for themselves in the race for qualification.
You can still enjoy Bet365’s gret Penalty Payback promotion that they have running. During the in-play market during the tournament, place a wager on the Euro 2016 Outright Winner market and if your selection then get knocked out in a penalty shoot out in the competition, you will get your lost stake refunded as a free bet. Register an account with online betting site Bet365 and earn a 100% matched deposit bonus from them!
Czech Republic v Croatia Betting Tips
The Czech Republic were looking as if they were heading to a draw against Spain, a very hard earned draw too, in their opening match, but slumped to a late goal by Gerard Pique. That has left them in a tricky position now because they have to go out and get something against the Croatians now which isn’t going to be easy for them at all. The Czechs’ managed just 28% of possession against Spain and they will likely struggle for the ball against Croatia too. It’s hard to do much without the ball. They aren’t particularly strong at the back by any stretch of the imagination and have earned just two clean sheets in their last twelve games played, during which they have posted a W6 D1 L5 record.
So along with a slightly shaky defence, they don’t look to have too much punch going forward whether. Only twice in their last seven games have they managed to score more than one goal during a game. Under the 2.5 goals line on this one is a price of 13/20 and that’s worth a punt because while they do need to press for a goal, they don’t look too likely to actually land one. They may not get much change out of a very good-looking Croatia side at all. There have only been two previous games between Croatia and the Czech Republic and both of those were friendly matches as well, Croatia winning one and drawing one. There’s little of value in the goalscorer markets for the Czech Republic.
The Croatians took a victory over Turkey in their opening Euro 2016 fixture. It was only a 1-0 win but frankly, they were so dominant in the game that they deserved to win by a more comfortable margin. A brilliant piece of magic from Luka Modric gave them the win in the end. Mario Mandzukic is a quote of 6/5 outright anytime goalscorer favourite for the game. They should find the Czech Republic back line easier to crack than that of Turkey most likely, particularly as their opponents have to come out and look for the win in this one. That should make it easier for Croatia to pick them off. The Croatians are in great form at the moment with five wins in their last six games (D1) and look to have a significant quality advantage over their opponents.
Czech Republic v Croatia Betting Odds
Croatia, Draw 13/5, Czech Republic 4/1
Czech Republic v Croatia Predictions
Hard to see the Czech Republic getting much change out of this fixture. Croatia will stroke the ball around nicely because they have a tremendous midfield and will find more spaces in the Czech backline than they don that of Turkey. Look for a Croatia to win to nil option on the game.
