Croatia
- Croatia are 4th in Group L, having conceded four goals in one away game so far, a 4-2 defeat to England.
- Zlatko Dalic's side have won just one of their last three away games, with defeats to Belgium and England highlighting a lack of defensive solidity.
Panama
- Panama are 3rd in Group L after a hard-fought 1-0 away defeat to Ghana in their opening group game.
- Panama have a more pragmatic approach, sitting deep and defending in numbers before unleashing their best players on the counterattack.
- Panama can match Croatia's discipline and energy in the midfield and are likely to defend deep with their compact defensive line.
Key Players
- Martin Baturina's goal in Croatia's opening group match makes him Croatia's top scorer with one goal and he is worth a bet to repeat the feat on Tuesday.
- Ivan Perisic was also on the scoresheet in that game and his assist in their World Cup opener showed that the veteran winger is still capable of unlocking defenses.
- José Fajardo is a real threat on the break.
- Adalberto Carrasquilla is a great player to control the transition from defense to attack.
Betting Insights
- Odds of 1.5 for Croatia to win this game are extremely skinny, given Panama are 6.5 and a draw 3.7.
- The 1.98 for Over 2.5 goals in this game looks an intriguing play because Croatia have played much better when they can dominate possession and control the tempo.
- Dalic's approach is to dominate in the middle of the park and use the creativity of his players to unlock the opponent's defense.
- If Croatia are able to establish dominance and create overloads, they should be able to win the game and do so with some style, but Panama are solid enough to keep the scoreline reasonable.
Prediction
- Croatia have looked vulnerable at the FIFA World Cup and are unlikely to have things all their own way against a solid Panama side this Tuesday.
- Panama's solidity and defensive discipline may keep it tight for long periods at the Toronto Stadium in Canada.
- That could lead to an open second half as Croatia try to force a decision.
