World Cup Bracket 2018: Group Standings, Odds and Picks Entering Tuesday Play

Argentina's future at the 2018 FIFA World Cup hangs in the balance as they prepare for their closing Group D match on Tuesday, where anything but a win over Nigeria will mean the end of their tournament.

Croatia are effectively guaranteed to finish first in Group D after winning both their games so far. They finish against Iceland, whose result La Albiceleste need to better if they're to advance.

But first on Tuesday, France will look to sew up Group C with victory against Denmark, who must beat Les Bleus if they're to take spot as the top-two finishers already look to be decided.

Australia would need to clinch their first win of the tournament against already-eliminated Peru if they're to have a hope of pipping the Danes to second.

Read on for a look at Tuesday's lineup, complete with the latest match odds, standings and picks for who we'll see emerge victorious as two more groups reach their conclusion ahead of the knockout stages.

Tuesday's World Cup Fixtures/Picks

Group C

Denmark 1-2 France, 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET 

Australia 0-1 Peru, 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET

Group D

Nigeria 2-3 Argentina, 9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET

Croatia 2-2 Iceland, 9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET

Tuesday's World Cup Match Odds

Denmark (24-5), Draw(29-10), France (3-5)

Australia (3-1), Draw(11-5), Peru (26-25)

Iceland (11-2), Draw(29-10), Croatia (1-2)

Nigeria (51-10), Draw(27-10), Argentina (51-100)

All odds courtesy of OddsShark.

World Cup Group Standings (Goal Difference)

Group C

1. France (a): 6 (+2)

2. Denmark: 4 (+1)

3. Australia: 1 (-1)

4. Peru (e): 0 (-2)

Group D

1. Croatia (a): 6 (+5)

2. Nigeria: 3 (0)

3. Iceland: 1 (-2)

4. Argentina: 1 (-3) 

(a) denotes a team that's qualified for the next round. (e) denotes a team that's been eliminated from the tournament. Visit the official FIFA website for the full standings.

Preview

A disappointing tournament for Argentina will get a lot messier with anything but victory against Nigeria on Tuesday. However, we could see one of the most accomplished teams in the world find their form and advance at the death.

A 1-1 draw against Iceland followed by a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Croatia led to chaos in Argentina's camp. The Independent's Ed Malyon reported on Jorge Sampaoli's potential sacking, a player punch-up and other incidents threatening the World Cup. Football writer Mootaz Chehade elaborated:

Sampaoli is still in charge heading into the fixture with the Super Eagles, and Argentinian football writer Roy Nemer provided quotes from Sampaoli, who admitted to at least one error from the Croatia defeat:

Nigeria have been buoyed at the wrong moment as far as Argentina are concerned, beating Iceland 2-0 just as it seemed like they were the Group D whipping boys. But it's difficult to back against a team that houses so much South American talent, chief among them Lionel Messi, and so Argentina still get the nod.

The same goes for Croatia, who despite having already sewn up a place in the round of 16, have enough to make it three wins from three against the Icelandic underdogs.

It could even be in Croatian interests to let Iceland win in the hope they occupy a knockout place instead of Argentina, although at this rate the small Scandinavian country could be the bigger threat over the course of a tournament.

In Group C, Denmark will look to leave it all on the line against France in the hope they can take first place and face the Group D runners-up instead of likely winners Croatia, who have looked good thus far.

As shown by SuperSport, history is against the Danes in this duel, although there is cause for hope as far as competitive matchups go:

France have been far from their best, relying on penalties and fortunate own goals more than manager Didier Deschamps might have hoped, but Denmark's lack of a proper presence in attack has been a tough cross to bear.

Last but not least is what could be a potential snore-fest between Peru and Australia, particularly if the Socceroos keep up their recent record of being incapable of scoring from open play, per writer James Willoughby:

Starlet Daniel Arzani, 19—the youngest player at this World Cup—showed great promise off the bench against Denmark and could get a first World Cup start against the Peruvians, who have nothing but pride left to play for.

Missed chances have been the bane of Peru's tournament, and the reason for their almost cruel exit, so it wouldn't be a shock if, unencumbered by pressure, they turned on the style for their send-off outing.