(Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

World Cup Group F Odds: Will de Bruyne’s Belgium qualify?

Group F is a very competitive group, you’d argue that all of the teams are on a very similar level to one another, aside from Canada. Despite a quality performance in their opening game they were unable to get past Belgium.

Their final game is a consolation as they are already out. Many of these Canadian players will never play in a World Cup game again so they will leave it all on the pitch.

The other three sides: Morocco, Croatia and Belgium all have a great chance of qualifying. They have all played some excellent football so far and all have some very talented players in their ranks. This group will have an exciting close, keep reading for our picks!

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Croatia vs Belgium

When? Thursday 1st December at 15:00 GMT
Where? Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Qatar
Latest Result: Belgium 1-0 Croatia, June 2021 (International Friendlies)

The game we’ve all been waiting for in this group. Two European light heavyweights going head to head for a place in the last 16. Belgium need to take all three points but a draw is enough for Croatia who are still unbeaten.

Belgium have been lacklustre in the tournament so far. Their key players have put in some questionable performances which has led the team to struggle. If the best players are playing well, it boosts the team. Kevin de Bruyne stands out as their biggest underperformer, he needs a colossal performance in midfield.

It won’t be easy for him though, as up against him will be the maestro that is Luka Modric alongside Marcelo Brozovic. The two combine exceptionally, they have an ideal balance of grit and flair. We all know how good Modric is and he still hasn’t dropped off despite being 37 years old. The perfect definition of ‘class is permanent’.

This brings us to our pick, this game is incredibly tough to call. Both sides are dark-horses who are nearing the end of golden generations. Their win probabilities according to stats are practically the same. Nevertheless, here is our pick that we think makes the best use of the group F matchday 3 odds.

Group F Matchday 3 Odds: Our Pick

These two sides are almost inseparable on paper, but this World Cup, there has been one clearly better team. This is Croatia. We think they’ll have enough to win this one and qualify:

Match Result: Croatia
Under 1.5 goals
Luka Modric to score
35/1

A bit more of an out there pick, but could be worth throwing a few quid on!

Group F matchday 3 odds via 888Sport.

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Canada vs Morocco

When? Thursday 1st December at 15:00 GMT
Where? Al Thumama Stadium
Latest Result: Morocco 4-0 Canada, October 2016 (International Friendlies)

The other final game in this tricky group sees Canada face Morocco. The curtains are already drawn for Canada after their 4-1 defeat to Croatia in their previous game. It’s been a disappointing tournament for Canada. Despite putting in a fine performance against Belgium in their opener, they were unable to come away with any points.

This leaves them with nothing to play for but pride. As we previously mentioned, this will be the last opportunity for a lot of these players to play World Cup football so they’ll be sure to try and say goodbye the right way.

The team standing in the way of a graceful goodbye is Morocco. Morocco has been absolutely phenomenal so far, they have shocked all of us. Particularly with their most recent result. They were able to beat 2018 semi-finalists Belgium with relative ease. The African nation were by far the better side.

One man who deserves special plaudits is Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech. He has been exceptionally good this tournament; beating players; creating chances and raising the standard of players around him. He has been instrumental and will need to continue this form to see his side quality. A point is all they need.

Group F Matchday 3 Odds: Our Pick

We can see this one being an end to end game full of life and flair. Canada has nothing to lose so they will throw everything into scoring goals, something we‘ve hardly seen at this World Cup. This will leave them susceptible to counters but they won’t mind.