FIFA World Cup 2018 Grande Finale
It’s almost over, with only two games remaining. The young and brave England and Belgium were brutally pushed aside in the semifinals by relentless Croatia and nearly flawless France. Accuscore’s predictions for the playoff stage were slightly off the mark as Belgium were favored, if only by 0.2% and England didn’t deliver after performing admirably against Sweden in the quarter final. Croatia pushed through with vigor and France proved to be too strong in the defense for Belgium.
In the Accuscore simulations pre-tournament, France was predicted to face Croatia already in the first playoff stage. In those simulations France was a clear favorite, and remains so still after six games for each played in the tournament.
Updated simulations feature the data from the tournament so far and the biggest difference in the teams is scoring goals. While France has missed their fair share of goal scoring opportunities, their star forwards Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe have impressed up front. Croatia on the other hand has struggled to score in the first 90 minutes of play, even if they have been in possession for majority of the game. Defensively Croatia has been sound enough, despite a couple of follies but against France that just isn’t enough. In the simulations France is rather clear favorites to take the throne and hoist the Jules Rimet on Sunday evening.
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