Croatia faces elimination while Colombia and Portugal set up marquee World Cup clash in Group C

One of the things I love most about sports is that it brings people together. A quick story — my son played high school football, and they had a dramatic win to get them to the state championship game. Literally, a blocked field goal sent them downstate. After the game, everyone was celebrating, and for a split second, I dapped up a guy with whom there is significant bad blood. It was happiness because we put aside the crap and enjoyed a sporting moment. That’s what we see with the World Cup – people from all over coming together and just enjoying a game. It has been up and down for me with betting on the World Cup, but it has been fun, nonetheless.

Croatia vs. Ghana

Croatia needs to win, or they will be sent home. If they end up with a draw, Ghana gets the nod. I suppose Croatia could potentially advance with a draw, but I really don’t understand the nuances of advancing from each of the different groups. I just know eight additional teams will make it in from third place. Rumors are out there that Croatia will likely have a new tactical shift to focus on the middle of the field. That could bring a more aggressive approach to this game. Ghana has done a good job in their games, winning over Panama and tying with England. They have yet to allow a goal, but will need to show some aggressiveness if they want to win instead of just draw against Croatia. I like the under 2.5 goals, but betting it at -160 is pricy. I think you can take a shot on Croatia being aggressive and winning this game at -130.

Columbia vs. Portugal

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Columbia has looked like one of the best teams in the World Cup, winning both of their matchups to start the tournament. Portugal won one game and had a draw in the other. Their star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has had a lot of scrutiny, but Ronaldo looked great in his last game, scoring two goals for the team. In their first game against DR Congo, they could only muster up one goal and tied. They played Uzbekistan and dominated them 5-0. This will be a much harder test. Columbia took down both teams, winning 1-0 in their last match against DR Congo, and 3-1 against Uzbekistan. I really like both teams to score in this one at -115. I think both have good offensive attacks and should find ways to get the ball in the net.

Jordan vs. Argentina

There really is nothing to play for here for either team. Argentina is already locked in as the winner of the Group. They won both of their first two matches and have seen Lionel Messi look like the best player in the tournament. I think he will sit here or only play a small portion of the game. Jordan has been eliminated, but it would still mean a lot to get a point against one of the best teams in the World. Pride can motivate a lot of teams. Still, the backups for Argentina are probably better than the best players for Jordan. Argentina has yet to allow a goal in the tournament, but I think Jordan will at least be playing on a more level playing field. I’ll take them to get at least one goal at +114.

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