I have underestimated Russia up until now, but they proved me wrong. On the other hand, Croatia hasn't disappointed, but they almost lost it against Denmark, that magic I mean. The players were tired after 70 minutes and the dangerous attacks from the red and white were pretty rare. That's why I've decided I'm not gonna choose sides on this one, because it really is a gamble it's a 50-50 game. My gut says Croatia, but it might not be dumb to cover the Russia handi, since they are playing at home.
RUSSIA:
At home, they seemed to be doing pretty great. If this would be anywhere else in the world, that Mr. Vladimir can't put his thumb on it, they would not get this far, or would they? Anyways, they've knocked out Spain, who let's be honest got lucky to even get this far and here they are facing an easier opponent on paper, but I'm sure will prove a lot harder to compete against since they aren't set as such big favorites as Spain was.
CROATIA:
The nation is on fire. Was lucky to watch their game against Denmark on the streets of Dubrovnik and I'm telling you, Croatia lives and breaths soccer. There's a lot of pressure on their team. Modric has shown that he can pass and set up good plays, but when it comes to shooting...yeah leave it to somebody else. Raketic hasn't shown his full potential yet, so maybe he'll take the lead here. Croatia will score on this game for sure, can Russia bounce back I think they can. Like I said I'm not gonna go for a straight win, but there's a 65 % chance we will see penalties here. Maybe cover the X or the Russia handi as well.
PICK: OVER 2 GOALS (PINNACLE SPORTS - ODD: @2.09/+109)
Honestly, this looks like a 1-1 game to me, but if one of the teams gets behind 0-2, watch them to throw everything they have at their opposition, so there's a good chance this one might go over 2 goals, even though everyone expects a nervous and restless game without many goals here. It only takes 1 goal to at least cover this one. I don't see a 1-0 victory for anyone here. 2 goals will be scored in my opinion, that actually covers this bet, but I'm seeing the Brazil-Belgium scenario here...1-1...2-1...2-2 . Taking anything else here is risking too much, this seems like a reasonable bet on two teams that they know how to score if they have to. If Croatia scored one on Denmark, they should get a few against Russians too.