A podium finish will be at stake when Croatia take on Morocco in the second most important match of this World Cup on Saturday.
Croatia have already punched above their weight and might have to do it one last time at the Khalifa International Stadium, where a spirited Morocco will be waiting for them on Saturday.
It was supposed to be one hell of a ride for Croatia as not many have figured out they would be reaching almost their pinnacle of success this time.
Josko Gvardiol was at the receiving end of magical work by Lionel Massi as the 20-year-old was bullied and humiliated by the Argentina captain in a match where La Albiceleste dominated with sheer precision for most of the time.
The Vatreni did not have an answer to their struggle but will hope to put all criticism to bed when they take the pitch on Saturday.
Morocco have been the surprise package and were never supposed to reach the semi-finals. Their well-drilled tactics almost paid off. But the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe could not be contained as he set up the winning goal by tearing apart the Moroccan defence.
But Morocco’s show in this edition is no less than a fairytale, and they could etch their name forever in the football folklore if they beat Croatia to the dust. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Croatia
🔝 mentors, 🔝 student. #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/ahytoGqdO7
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) December 16, 2022
Croatia will have the added advantage of having extra day of rest as they could well use that to assess their current situation. Injuries are ramping up, and Zlatko Dalic might be forced to look out at his reserve bench as they are determined to leave Qatar with a World Cup medal this time.
This could be the last World Cup game for Dejan Lovren, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic, and the trio would definitely want to bid goodbye on a winning note. Modric has the highest number of appearances of anyone for Croatia in World Cup history, and perhaps, it is redemption time for him.
There are very few goalkeepers who have matched the standards of Dominik Livakovic and the 27-year-old will be seen again in between the posts. Gvardiol had to play through pain, and if he does not feel comfortable, he might have to sit out this game.
Josip Sutalo will partner Dejan Lovren in the heart of the defence, while Borna Sosa and Josip Juranovic will take the responsibility of the fullback department.
Marcelo Brozovic had to hobble off the pitch. And if he does not return, Kristijan Jakic will take his place. Both Mateo Kovacic and Luka Modric are pretty vital to Croatia’s plans, and they will try to take on the Moroccan midfield with their experience.
Nikola Vlasic and Ivan Perisic should get the nod on the flanks, while Bruno Petkovic should be handed his second start in this tournament.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Sutalo, Lovren, Sosa; Modric, Kovacic, Jakic; Vlasic, Petkovic, Perisic
Morocco
Yassine Bounou has been outstanding with his shot-stopping, and he will be guarding the Moroccan goal in this clash. Morocco’s decision to include Nayef Aguerd and Roman Saiss in their semi-final lineup backfired horrendously as both players struggled to keep up with the French attackers.
Aguerd didn’t even participate in the game and Walid Regragui had to leave him off the squad, while Saiss left the game at a crucial time. Achraf Dari and Jawad El Yamiq will be the preferred choice at the heart of the Morocco defence against Croatia.
Regragui also saw Noussair Mazraoui leaving the pitch due to an injury, and Yahia Attiyat Allah will be his likely replacement on the left side of the defence. Achraf Hakimi will try to put control from the right side.
Sofyan Amrabat has had a stellar World Cup so far, as he has managed to finetune the Moroccan midfield from his deeper midfield position. He will be partnering with a lesser-known Azzedine Ounahi and Selim Amallah in a three-man midfield.
Sofiane Boufal and Hakim Ziyech have been Morocco’s main attacking output in this World Cup and they will again be unleashed against a makeshift Croatian defence. Youssef En-Nesyri will lead the line for Morocco against Croatia.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Bono; Hakimi, Dari, El-Yamiq, Attiyat-Allah; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Key Stats
- Saturday’s clash will be the second meeting between Croatia and Morocco at this World Cup, with the two teams playing out a 0-0 draw on Matchday 1. Croatia were restricted to five shots, their fewest ever in a World Cup match.
- Croatia have kept a clean sheet in all three of their previous World Cup matches against African sides, beating Cameroon 4-0 in 2014, Nigeria 2-0 in 2018, and drawing 0-0 with Morocco this year.
- Croatia conceded as many goals in their 3-0 semi-final defeat against Argentina as they had in their previous five games at the 2022 World Cup combined. They have also faced more shots than any other side at this tournament (75).
- Morocco conceded more goals in their 2-0 semi-final defeat to France than they had in their previous five matches at this World Cup combined (1). They could still become the eighth team to keep as many as five clean sheets in a single tournament, after Netherlands (1974), Italy (1990), Brazil (1994), France (1998), Germany (2002), Italy (2006) and Spain (2010).
- Ivan Perisic has scored six World Cup goals for Croatia – one more would make him their outright top scorer in the competition, surpassing Davor Suker.
Player to Watch
Luka Modric
The Real Madrid midfielder has been a vital cog in Croatia’s plans and he could be wearing the chequered jersey for the last time on this stage. The 37-year-old has defied his age and has covered every blade of grass so far. It would be very interesting to see how Modric approaches this game.
🇭🇷 A bitter end to a sweet journey.
Luka Modric the heartbeat of an enthralling run for the Croatia’s golden generation!
Back to back World Cup Semi Finals, including one World Cup Final.
One Ballon d’or, Five champions leagues and 3 La liga titles.
Different gravy. pic.twitter.com/0q0QOaWeoh
— FIVE (@FIVEUK) December 13, 2022
Prediction
Croatia 1-0 Morocco
Morocco’s resolve has had a lot of say in their World Cup theatrics so far. But it will be difficult for the Atlas Lions to overrun Croatia without several key players. It could be a feisty affair, but Croatia could have a marginal advantage due to the presence of a certain Luka Modric, who could shift the direction at any moment. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Zlatko Dalic’s men.
