FIFA World Cup 2022 Semi-Final: Argentina vs Croatia prediction, time, live-streaming details

Overview

After losing the final to Germany in 2014, Lionel Messi’s boys got eliminated in the Round of 16 last time. This time, too, they had a shocking start in the FIFA World Cup 2022 as they lost to Saudi Arabia 1-2 in their opening match. Both the teams that qualified from Group F, Morocco and Croatia, will be playing semi-finals at the FIFA World Cup 2022, albeit separately.

Teams

Argentina

After a difficult quarter-final match against the Netherlands, Argentina advanced to the FIFA World Cup 2022 semi-finals. The game was tense, concluded 2-2 at the very end and was eventually won by Messi’s boys in penalty shoot-outs. There has been remarkable cohesion among the La Albicelestes team as it appears that they are playing to watch Messi win the world cup before leaving the stage.

Croatia

In a thrilling quarterfinal, the 2018 finalists proved to be too tough for Brazil, managing to square the score after Neymar’s goal in extra time before prevailing again on penalties. Croatia just cannot be disregarded, even though they are not always the most entertaining to watch. It might realistically be two consecutive final appearances for a golden generation that many had already written off, boasting quality across the board and the kind of cohesion many teams would envy.

Head-to-Head

Five times Argentina and Croatia have squared off so far, with both teams sharing two victories and one game ending in a goalless draw. Even their world cup history is evenly poised. Argentina defeated Croatia 1-0 in their first World Cup meeting in 1998 while Croatia triumphed 3-0 in 2018.

Key Players

Lionel Messi scored 10 world cup goals and equaled Gabriel Batistuta, who held the record of scoring the highest number of world cup goals by an Argentine for 20 years. When he is not scoring, he is assisting his teammates to score.

With Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic producing a fantastic performance, Croatia’s midfield played defence via possession against Brazil. That should work against Argentina as well.

Date, Time & Venue

The Argentina vs Croatia match will be played on December 14 at 00:30 AM (Indian time) in the Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail.

Live-streaming Details

The Argentina vs Croatia match will be broadcast live on the Sports18 and Sports18 HD TV channels in India and Jio Cinema’s app and website will both offer free live streaming of the event.

Prediction

Argentina won’t allow Croatia to do what the latter did to Brazil. The game won’t stretch to the extra time. Argentina will win it 2-1.