WORLD CUP BETTING PREVIEW - PORTUGAL VS CROATIA

World Cup

2026-07-02 - Portugal vs Croatia

A Sports Betting Preview by ArmchairPunter

Portugal v Croatia
Football : World: FIFA World Cup - Round of 32
Venue: BMO Field
Thursday 2nd July 2026, 1800hrs (local)

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Portugal

A win and two draws proved to be enough to send Portugal through to the knockout round of last 32 thanks to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo and a 0-0 stalemate with Colombia which were either side of a 5-0 battering of World Cup debutants, Uzbekistan.

The Selecao not only remained unbeaten throughout the group campaign but they are also now unbeaten in their last eight internationals where they have registered five wins in the process, while the bigger picture represents a very resilient and tough looking proposition.

Indeed, Portugal have slipped to just a single loss within their last 16 matches overall which came in the shape of a 2-0 loss away from home at Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, but also includes picking up a total of 11 wins in the process.

Roberto Martinez’s side have lost just once in their previous 10 meetings against Croatia.

Croatia

Croatia recovered significantly from their opening 4-2 loss at the hands of England in Group L to record back-to-back wins which saw Zlatko Dalic’s side claim the runners-up spot in the group and nudging Ghana into a 3rd place finish.

An underwhelming 1-0 victory over Panama was followed by a hard-earned 2-1 win against Ghana which will give the Checkered Ones plenty of momentum and belief into this round of 32 encounter against Portugal but as mentioned previously, footballing history is not on Croatia’s side when it comes to the Selecao.

In addition, Croatia have also slipped to three defeats within their last six internationals which came in the form of defeats to the likes of Brazil, Belgium and England respectively, so there are perhaps signs that the Croatian’s overall form is beginning to show some cracks.

The Betting Verdict

Much will depend upon the control of the midfield and this is where I feel Portugal hold the edge with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Neto amongst their engine room.

The Pick :

Portugal 2-1 Croatia

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Portugal Win at odds of 1.80 with BetFred