- Cristiano Ronaldo has +100 odds to score his first goal in a World Cup knockout game, snapping a 29-shot streak without finding net in this stage.
- Portugal are heavy -275 favorites to advance against Croatia, but underlying metrics show Portugal aren’t as good as they may appear.
- Croatian icon Luka Modric has +230 odds to record a goal or assist in what could be his final World Cup match.
TORONTO – Despite playing in eight World Cup knockout matches, the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored in this stage. There are +100 odds at World Cup betting sites for Ronaldo to snap that streak on Thursday night against Croatia.
Cristiano Ronaldo Odds Vs Croatia
- To Score A Goal +100
- To Score 2+ Goals +500
- Hat Trick +2000
- First Goalscorer +340
- To Score or Assist -170
- First Half Goal +250
- Second Half Goal +200
Ronaldo is tied with Roberto Carlos at 29 shot attempts without scoring in the World Cup knockout stage, the most of any player since 1966. The market is confident in the legendary player snapping that drought in what’s likely to be his final World Cup, but history says otherwise.
Are Portugal Fraudulent? Other Icon Modric Odds To Score
Portugal are heavy favorites with -275 odds to advance and -143 odds to win in regulation. However, their appearance is heavily inflated by their dominant 5-0 win against Uzbekistan.
Portugal posted 2.61 expected goals (xG) and 3.49 xG on target (xGOT) against Uzbekistan, but posted just 1.58 xG and 0.70 xGOT against their other two group stage opponents (DR Congo and Colombia) combined. They’ve also dominated possession and completed their most passes in a World Cup group stage ever, but only put up 37 shots, far less than previous competitions.
Most of the spotlight will be on Ronaldo and Portugal, but this could also be the final World Cup match for icon Luka Modric. Modric has long +750 legal sports betting odds to score, but has +230 odds to score or assist a goal.
Modric recorded an assist in Croatia’s last group stage match against Ghana. He even registered the most passes in the match and went 20/25 on attempted line breaks, proving he’ll be a facilitator in the Croatian attack against Portugal.
