We are now down to our final four teams at the World Cup. Croatia, Argentina, Morocco and France are just one game away from the tournament’s showpiece. The World Cup has already thrown a few twists and turns at us already, could there be anymore in store?
We take a look at how the odds are shaping up ahead of the final week of the World Cup in Qatar.
Tournament favourites Brazil are out, as are England who were also tipped to be in with a great chance of laying their hands on their trophy this winter.
France, who knocked out the Three Lions, are now the favourites to go all the way with Betfred offering 11/10 on Les Bleus. They have a favourable semi-final clash with Morocco but as they have continued to deliver over the course of the tournament, the Atlas Lions are not to be underestimated. France could do what has been done twice in the past by winning consecutive World Cups, behind Italy and Brazil - who last did so in 1962.
Behind France are Argentina, led by the majestic Lionel Messi. They are priced at 6/4 and with how the quarter-finals have unfolded you get the feeling Messi’s lifelong dream could be coming true and he might just get the fairytale ending to his international career.
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Third in the list is knockout connoisseurs Croatia at 7/1. Zlatko Dalic has worked wonders in his five years as Croatia boss and he has his team on the cusp of reaching back-to-back World Cup finals and there is a chance we can get a repeat of the final in 2018 if they happen to progress and meet France in the final. Five of their past six World Cup knockout matches have gone to extra time or penalties and they have prevailed in all five. Their mental strength for the occasion is remarkable and you will find it difficult to bet against them when they face Argentina.
Morocco are priced at 10/1. They are the longshot to go all the way but you cannot write them off. They have done brilliantly to become the first African semi-finalists at the World Cup and their structured unit makes them a tough nut to crack.
As you can probably imagine, France talisman and leading marksman Kylian Mbappe remains the favourite for this particular honour with five goals to his name already. His odds are as low as 1/2 because it is becoming more likely that he is going to be this year’s recipient.
But things could change. After all, Argentina’s Messi is just one goal behind him and has been magical in this tournament. The attacking maestro has been in top form, providing both goals and assists and he is currently 3/1 to pick up the Golden Boot.
Also on four is Mbappe’s France teammate and Les Bleus’ all-time leading goalscorer Olivier Giroud at 6/1. He could prove to be another shrewd pick at that price.
Due to the wealth of talent on display, it is understandable that an Argentina/France final is viewed the most likely from the bookies with Betfred marking this potential final at 4/6. France have looked sharp throughout the tournament and Argentina have slowly grown game by game after their opening defeat against Saudi Arabia. Messi has inspired his side to get into a position where they could reach their first final since 2014 and they will have a tough battle with Croatia to overcome first.
France/Croatia is 5/2 which is quite a decent price when you consider Croatia’s astonishing record in knockout matches. If we do end up getting a repeat of the 2018 final, you would expect a wiser Croatian side turning up and could make it difficult for France as they showed against Brazil.
Argentina/Morocco is 5/1, while Croatia/Morocco is 12/1 if you are really fancying the chances of both dark horses reaching Sunday’s final.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
