Argentina and Croatia will play against each other in the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar. The starting whistle will sound on December 13 at 19:00 UK time.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #1 – Argentina to win – 1.93.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #2 – Total Goals Under 2.5 – 1.60.
Match Outcome:
Argentina, although not without problems, reached the semi-finals, where they got Croatia, who they are quite capable of beating. Despite all the exploits of Croatia, they are unlikely to have a chance of success today. Argentina’s leader Lionel Messi is in great form and the Albiceleste have progressed throughout the tournament, adapting quite easily to their opponents and, if necessary, adding to the game.
Yes, Croatia beat a far more carnivalesque and powerful Brazil. However, the key difference between the Celesaso and Argentina at the Mundial in Qatar is that the Brazilians found everything easy, the dancing knocked the Brazilian out from under them, they were discouraged by the Croatian resistance.
On the other hand, Argentina worked from the opening seconds of the tournament. After the defeat in the first leg, the fact that the Albiceleste is in the semi-finals is already a miracle; the toughest matches against Mexico and the Netherlands have hardened the team and it is almost impossible to surprise them.
Total Goals Under 2.5
Dalic’s team plays stuffy, defensive football. As a result, four of their five matches in Qatar ended in a scoreless total. On three occasions, zeros were left on the scoreboard. It is doubtful that Croatia will move away from their favorite style in the semi-finals. The Argentines are a little more cheerful in terms of performance at the World Cup, but we will rely on Dalic’s pragmatism here. Even the Brazilians were unable to draw the Croatians into risky football.
Argentina, regarded as one of the main favourites before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, began the tournament with a sensational defeat to Saudi Arabia (1-2), thus breaking their streak of 36 matches without a defeat.
In the next game, Lionel Scaloni’s side defeated Mexico (2-0). In the final game of the group stage, the Argentines defeated Poland (2-0). With six points, they finished second in their quartet.
The South Americans have had a difficult time in the playoffs. In the 1/8 finals, they beat Australia (2-1). In the quarter-finals, they only beat the Netherlands on penalties, ending the meeting 2-2, with a second goal conceded with just seconds left before the end of the match.
It should be recalled that the Albiceleste, who have won the World Cup twice, was stopped by France in the 1/8 final in the last draw and lost the final to Germany in 2014.
At the 2018 World Cup, the Croats defeated Argentina (3-0) in the group stage. Argentina beat Croatia (1-0) in the 1998 World Cup group.
The year 2022 is shaping up to be a very good one for Croatia. Back in the summer, they won the Nations League group ahead of Denmark and France and reached the tournament’s final.
A few days ago, Croatia qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup for the third time in their history, sensationally beating Brazil. The regulation time ended 0-0, with the teams exchanging goals in overtime and the Croats were luckier in the penalty shoot-out.
The Balkans started in Qatar with a rather disappointing draw against Morocco 0-0. Then, in the second leg, they beat Canada (4-1), before finishing the group stage with a draw against Belgium (0-0).
With five points, Zlatko Dalic’s side finished second in their quartet and made it through to the next stage. In the first leg of the play-offs, they faced Japan, who could only be beaten on penalties, ending 1-1 in regulation time.
The Croatian side approached this meeting with an 11-match unbeaten streak, with five draws and six wins.
In our opinion, the teams will take to the field with the following line-ups:
Argentina: E. Martinez – Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico – Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister – Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez.
Croatia: Livakovic – Juranovic, Gvardiol, Lovren, Sosa – Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic – Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic.
FAQ for Argentina vs Croatia
The fixture will be played at Lusail Stadium (88.966) in Lusail, Qatar.
This starting whistle will sound on the 13th of December, 2022, at 20:00 UK Time.
We recommend checking out the odds for the World Cup 2022: Argentina vs Croatia at 1xBet.