Portugal is probably the most fortunate team in all of Euro 2016. In spite of the fact that it finished third in its group without a single win to show for its work, it's in the knockout rounds of the tournament, and it's here in the top half of the bracket, one which it is amongst the favorites to win. This is a really tough draw for Croatia for sure, as the Croats were ridiculously good in the opening round and didn't deserve this fate of playing against one of the top sides in the tournament straightaway in the Round of 16.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Croatia +155
Portugal +215
Draw +200
Over/Under 2 (under -125)
ODDS ANALYSIS
It might be a bit surprising that Croatia is the favored side in this match even though Portugal is considered to be the bigger name of the two teams. The Croats though, have been excellent in this tournament, and for our money, they're deserving +155 choices of the oddsmakers in spite of the fact that Portugal is still quite good and is always dangerous.
What is a little surprising is the fact that the total is just a flat 2 with -125 vig on the under, especially after A Seleccao just played a six-goal match against Hungary on Wednesday.
TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Somehow, Portugal is going to have to pick itself up off the mat in this one. The team did a nice job fighting back from down 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 to draw Hungary to sneak into the knockout rounds, but let's not make any mistakes about the fact that this was a disappointing first couple weeks of this tournament. A Seleccao had never played in a European Championship without getting at least one win in the group stage before this year.
Croatia meanwhile, is the proud owner of the best win in this tournament after beating Spain to win Group D. It was a fantastic response after drawing against the Czech Republic after going up 2-0 in the first hour of play, and it was a bit of a surprise, especially after falling down by a goal in the first seven minutes against La Roja.
LIVE BETTING
Big time players come up big in the big spots, but Cristiano Ronaldo is a man who clearly needs some help. He and Nani have had good tournaments to date, but that was to be expected against relatively weak Group F.
The Croatian defense has been awfully good in this tournament. Just the fact that it was able to hold off Spain for 80+ minutes consecutively after conceding the early goal was an impressive feat, and if not for a few little lapses against the Czechs which are now long forgotten, we'd be talking about a fantastic defensive display in the Euros. The battle here between Tin Jedvaj, Vedran Corluka and CR7 will be the one to watch for sure, because as we saw against Hungary, when Ronaldo is at his best, he's literally unstoppable.
QUICK PICK
The Croatians have done a nice job holding the ball over the course of this tournament, and we think they have enough here to get the job done. Portugal is going to have a lot of money come in on it, but we just don't see it as justifiable. Outside of Ronaldo, this really isn't a team which is any good whatsoever, and Nani merely is a product of the danger which Ronaldo presents alongside him.
Where is Pepe? Where is Ricardo Carvalho? Where is Bruno Alves? These are men who are supposed to be able to play at a high level at the back, and yet they're nowhere to be found in this tournament. If the Portuguese can't do better than they did at the group stage, they might get run out of dodge in Lens by a team playing at an incredibly high level at the moment.
Euro 2016 Odds: Croatia 2, Portugal 0
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between Croatia and Portugal will kick off on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. ET. This fixture from the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens can be seen live on ESPN.
