The World Cup quarter-finals begin on Friday; Jones Knows returns with predictions and believes Brazil and Argentina will win tense encounters to advance to the semi-finals.
Croatia vs Brazil, Friday at 3 pm
South Korea, who gave Brazil’s dangermen one-on-one situations with their defenders by using dubious tactics, gave Tite’s team the freedom of the field in their matchup with them. Croatia, who are astute and astute in these situations, will not allow Brazil to play. With so much at stake, referee Michael Oliver, who has shown 13 yellow cards in his two World Cup appearances, should have a busy afternoon. With a team full of players capable of drawing cynical fouls, his thirst for cards should continue here.
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The opposition’s booking total in their last 21 competitive fixtures averages out at 37 booking points (using 10 for a yellow, 25 for a red), with 16 of those fixtures seeing the opposition rack up 30 or more booking points. Those willing to take very short odds should consider the 8/13 with Sky Bet on Croatia picking up more booking points than Brazil. The Europeans are an ageing team with little pace or trickery in the forward areas, as evidenced by their opponents being shown only three cards in this tournament.
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That is a safe bet to consider, but looking at the numbers, the 40+ Croatia booking points at 100/30 with Sky Bet should give you a good run if they stay in the game until the end. In terms of the overall result, I’d go with a low-scoring Brazil victory.
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