A World Cup 2022 bronze medal is on the line between Croatia and Morocco in Saturday’s third-placed playoff at the Khalifa International Stadium, and neither side should turn their noses up to a podium finish on the grandest stage.
Zlatko Dalic’s side were comfortably seen off 3-0 by Argentina in their semi-final, while the Atlas Lions fought valiantly against France but were put to the sword by two goals to nil.
Match Details:
- Match: Croatia vs Morocco
- Date: 17 December, 2022
- Time: 08:30 P.M
- Venue: Khalifa International Stadium
Croatia vs Morocco Preview
Very few attackers have come face to face with the masked warrior that is Josko Gvardiol and got the better of the RB Leipzig youngster, but even one of the most in-demand defenders in Europe was no match for a 35-year-old Lionel Messi.
Prior to his downright humiliation of a man 15 years his junior, Messi crashed home the opening goal of Argentina’s semi-final with Croatia from the penalty spot before Julian Alvarez’s solo run brought La Albiceleste their second, albeit with some slices of good fortune after a couple of ricochets.
There was nothing fortunate about Argentina’s third, as Messi rolled back the years on the right-hand side before picking out Alvarez to tap home Argentina’s third and deny Croatia a second successive appearance at a World Cup final – against 2018 foes France, no less.
Dalic’s side remarkably reached the 2018 final and the semi-finals of the 2022 edition without winning a knockout game in normal time, and they are not complete novices in bronze medal matches, having beaten the Netherlands 2-1 in the 1998 third-placed playoff during their inaugural World Cup campaign.
Croatia vs Morocco Prediction
We say: Croatia 0-1 Morocco
A trident of injured defenders would not spell optimism for any side, but Morocco’s backline stand-ins have put in performances to be proud of and are now facing a Croatia XI who are not renowned for any sort of attacking mastery.
Rearguards will likely come out on top in this bronze medal battle, but Regragui’s side need only improve their final ball to make their periods of pressure count, and we have belief in the Atlas Lions to do just that and end a magical World Cup journey with a podium finish.
Croatia vs Morocco Head-To-Head
- In two head-to-head encounters between the two sides, Croatia have won one game and drawn one.
- Tottenham Hotspur star Ivan Perisic has registered three goal contributions in the tournament so far for Croatia.
- Hoffenheim attacker Andrej Kramaric has scored two goals for Croatia in the competition so far.
- Chelsea forward Hakim Ziyech has managed two goal contributions for Morocco in the competition.
- Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri has scored two goals in the World Cup for Morocco.
Croatia vs Morocco Team News
Injury was added to insult for Croatia in their semi-final loss to Argentina, as midfield fulcrum Marcelo Brozovic was a 50th-minute withdrawal due to discomfort and is classed as a major doubt for the third-placed playoff.
Twenty-year-old centre-back Gvardiol needed injections to play through the pain of a foot injury in midweek, and Dalic has insisted that he will not risk any player who is not 100% fit, so Lovro Majer and Kristijan Jakic should be on standby to cover for Brozovic in the middle if needed.
As for Morocco, Regragui surprisingly recovered all of Aguerd, Mazraoui and Saiss for their semi-final, but the injured triumvirate dropped out one by one – in Aguerd’s case just before the first whistle blew.
Saiss was also hauled off after 20 minutes after being beaten for pace by Olivier Giroud, and Mazraoui came off during the half-time interval to leave Regragui back where he started on the injury front, although the severity of their problems is currently unclear.
Croatia vs Morocco Lineups
Croatia:
Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Sutalo, Sosa; Modric, Jakic, Kovacic; Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic
Morocco:
Bono; Hakimi, El-Yamiq, Dari, Attiyat-Allah; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Croatia vs Morocco Odds
Money Line:
- Croatia have +138 odds to pick up the win, while Morocco are listed at +195 to claim victory.
- The draw between Croatia and Morocco has been listed at +240 odds.
Handicap (Spread):
- In the FIFA World Cup 2022, Croatia scored a total of six goals in six matches while Morocco scored a total of five goals in six matches.
- From their opponents in the World Cup, Croatia conceded six goals while Morocco conceded three goals.
Over/Under:
- The full-time score has been set to 2.5 goals. Over -120, Under -115.
Both teams to score:
- Both, Croatia and Morocco failed to score in two of their six matches in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
- The odds for both the teams to score are -145 otherwise it’s +105.
Croatia vs Morocco Tips
Tip 1: Result – Croatia
Tip 2: Game to have over / under 2.5 goals – Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Croatia to keep a clean sheet – Yes
Croatia vs Morocco Betting Trends
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Croatia win with a probability of 39.67%. A win for Morocco has a probability of 32.69% and a draw has a probability of 27.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Croatia win is 1-0 with a probability of 11.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome are 2-1 (8.26%) and 2-0 (7.35%). The likeliest Morocco win is 0-1 (10.29%), while for a drawn scoreline it is 1-1 (13.03%).
Croatia vs Morocco Where To Watch Live Today FIFA World Cup 2022 Match
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 third-place playoff will be telecasted live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. On Android as well as iOS, it will be live streamed on JioCinema.