2018 World Cup Betting Preview Day 8 (June 21)

On Thursday, we’ll see both of the second matches in Group C in the 2018 World Cup, while two Group D sides will square off as well. Denmark faces Australia to start the day, and then France meets Peru. Argentina finishes the day off with a match against Croatia. Right now, France and Denmark lead Group C after wins over Australia and Peru, and each would likely clinch berths in the round of 16 with wins today. In Group D, Croatia leads the table with three points, thanks to their win over Nigeria, while Argentina sits level with Iceland at one point after those two drew in their group play opener. We have World Cup betting insights for each of tomorrow’s matches, including television and live streaming information as well as odds and perspectives on each outcome.

2018 World Cup Betting Preview Day 8 (June 21)

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Group C: Denmark vs Australia (4:00pm local time, 7:00am Eastern time, FS1/fuboTV)

2018 World Cup Odds: Australia +360 / Draw +244 / Denmark -104 / O/U 2

Australia had a golden opportunity to draw or even beat France in their opener, but an own goal from Aziz Behich was the difference in a 2-1 win for Les Bleus. Australia held possession for 49 percent of the match and forced a penalty, that Mile Jedinak converted from the spot. Australia does not have the offensive talent that France has, but they played coordinated, physical defense and had held things well enough to get their point. That has to be a drain on Australia’s confidence, and it will be interesting to see if they can regroup for a Danish team that is tough and physical as well. Denmark has five wins in their last 10 matches, and they looked impressive in their win over Peru. They don’t have a poetic style to their game; instead, they just grind opponents down with physicality and defense, forcing mistakes that end up in the back of the opposition’s nets. This game will feature two teams that don’t score much, and I’m anticipating either a scoreless draw or a 1-0 win. The Socceroos could just be the team that scores that goal, though, so I’m taking the “under” here instead of betting on either side.

Group C: France vs Peru (8:00pm local time, 10:00am Eastern time, FOX/fuboTV)

2018 World Cup Odds: France -270 / Draw +392 / Peru +931 / O/U 2.5

France breathed a sigh of relief when they picked up that own goal against Australia and got those three points for the win, and now they look to qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Peru. France possessed the ball for just 51 percent of the match against Australia but poured 13 shots toward the Socceroos’ net, against just six for Australia. Les Bleus have the offensive talent to run around Peru, but they showed some hesitation in finishing against Australia that they need to eliminate to make a deep World Cup run. Peru had a chance to take an early lead in the first half against Denmark, but Christian Cueva missed the goal on a penalty shot. Peru led in possession at 52 percent and outshot the Danes 18-10 (6-3 on target). If Peru can make some similar inroads against the French defense, they could pick up an early goal and make things interesting against a French side that does not have a great historical record in group play. I see France moving ahead from their struggles against Australia and taking this win. Again, I’m liking the “under” as a 2-0 score sounds right to me.

Group D: Argentina vs Croatia (9:00pm local time, 1:00pm Eastern time, FOX/fuboTV)

2018 World Cup Odds: Argentina +102 / Draw +235 / Croatia +314 / O/U 2

Croatia and Argentina are the two top teams in this group, at least as far as international rankings go, but while Croatia has the comfort of three points thanks to their win over Nigeria, Argentina enters almost with a must-win scenario here, as they only have one point after their draw with Iceland. Their defense continues to make errors, showing the lack of cohesion that troubled them during CONMEBOL qualification, and they have a star in Lionel Messi who has only  made half of his last 10 shots from the penalty spot, which has to be playing in his mind when Argentina gets a penalty opportunity now. Croatia comes in with all sorts of confidence after a 2-0 win over Nigeria. Nigeria is considered one of the more solid African teams in the tournament, but Croatia was able to break them down. The Croatian midfield is solid and can repel Argentina’s advances if Argentina is still lacking in communication, which would minimize the opportunities that Messi and Sergio Aguero would have up front. I see Croatia playing for a draw, to keep that two-point advantage over Argentina — and I don’t see Argentina having the cohesiveness to break through for the win.