World Cup Finals 2018 Betting Odds: Is France Or Croatia Favored? How Many Goals Will Be Scored?

France and Croatia will meet Sunday in the 2018 World Cup finals in a matchup that few would’ve predicted at the start of the tournament. France was considered to be one of the field’s best teams, but Croatia was a long shot looking for its first-ever championship.

Croatia is expected to still be without any World Cup titles when Sunday’s match is over. The team is a heavy underdog with +300 betting odds to win in regulation. France is a -111 favorite, according to OddsShark, and the odds of a draw in regulation are +230.

Before the tournament started, France was fourth with 6/1 odds to win the title. Ten teams had the same or better odds than Croatia, who was a 33/1 longshot to win the World Cup. Croatia is now a 3/1 underdog to win the championship without needing extra time.

There are plenty of indications that the match will be a low-scoring affair. France has totaled just three goals in their last two matches, and Croatia scored two goals in both their quarterfinal and semifinal match. The over/under in Sunday’s contest is two goals. Only six goals have been scored in the last four World Cup finals combined.

Antoine Griezmann leads France with three goals and two assists in the tournament. Mario Mandžukić, Ivan Perisic and Luka Modric all have two goals for Croatia.

France was the last team to score more than two goals in the finals. They cruised to a 3-0 victory over Brazil in 1998, winning their only World Cup championship in the country’s history. It marked the first time France even reached the finals. They lost to Italy in the finals in a shootout eight years later.

It was 16 years ago the last time the World Cup finals wasn’t decided in extra time or by penalty kicks. Brazil defeated Germany 2-0 in the 2002 finals to win a record-setting fifth championship.

It’s been 32 years since there were more than three total goals scored in the finals. The 1970 champions from Brazil were the last team to score four goals in the finals.