Argentina vs Croatia - 13.12.2022 - Predict For The Match
The first match between the last 4 of the World Cup will see Argentina take on Croatia. Argentina was the second favourite to win the tournament behind their South American foes Brazil.
This semi-final was predicted by a majority to be a classic clash between Argentina and Brazil but Croatia however did the unthinkable on the night. They came back into the match after Neymar's 105th-minute extra-time goal by equalizing in the 116th minute and then going on to win the penalty shootouts. The same night saw Argentina winning on penalties against a Netherlands side that just refused to give up right till the last few seconds.
With both teams working hard to get to the final 4, this match is definitely going to go down to the wire. Croatia is not an easy team to crack defensively, while Argentina has talents in the attack that have been more of a threat to Croatia’s attacking chances. Lionel Messi could help his side make the difference and win this match by a narrow margin.
Prediction: Argentina 1-0 Croatia
Below are some football predictions and team facts that will be useful for World Cup predictions.
Argentina
Fullbacks Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna are suspended which means manager Lionel Scaloni has no choice but to shuffle his line up.
The captain, Lionel Messi has been leading the way with 4 goals and 2 assists already in the tournament. He has also created 16 chances in this tournament so far, while no player from Croatia has created more than 5. Scaloni will want to see his captain help lift the team to achieve further glory by cementing a spot into the finals.
Facts
- FIFA Ranking: 3
- Argentina were the finalist in the 2014 FIFA World Cup
Croatia
Croatia has survived both their previous knockout ties by coming back from a goal down to win the matches in a penalty shootout.
Bruno Petkovic could be brought back into the starting lineup after scoring the equalizing goal against Brazil. Zlatko Dalic is expected to make minimal changes from his side that knocked Brazil out of the World Cup.
Facts
- FIFA Ranking: 12
- Croatia were the finalist in the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Statistics on Argentina vs Australia games
Both teams have met each other 5 times, they share 2 wins each and 1 draw.