CROATIA VS MOROCCO
Croatia and Morocco are on the field today for the play-off match for third place in the World Cup.
This match will be played at the Khalifa International Stadium at 8.30 p.m. Indian time. In the first semi-final, Croatia's arrival was defeated by three goals against Argentina. Meanwhile, Morocco suffered a one-sided two-goal loss to France.
In any case, the goal of both teams is to win third place today. It is known that Croatian wingback Juranovi, who was injured in the semi-final against Argentina, may not be in today's match. There are no problems with the Moroccan line. Both teams reached the semi-finals from the same group. When the two teams met in the group stage, the result was a goalless draw.
Therefore, it is difficult to predict who will have a clear advantage in today's competition. Morocco was the first team from Africa to qualify for the semi-finals in World Cup history. It will be doubly sweet for them if they manage to beat Croatia today and claim third place. On the other hand, the Croatian side will try to give Modric a well-deserved send-off as he prepares for his final match at the World Cup. Anyway, let's wait eagerly to see who will be the third runner-up in Qatar.
WIN PROBABILITY
Croatia:-41%
Morocco:-32%
Extra Time:-27%
MATCH SCHEDULE
Date:-15/12/2022
Time:-8.30 PM (IST)
Venue:- Khalifa International Stadium
INSIGHTS
1) This is the second meeting between Croatia and Morocco in this World Cup, as they drew MD1 0-0. Croatia was limited to five shots, their fewest in a World Cup match.
2) Croatia has kept clean sheets in their previous World Cup matches against African teams, beating Cameroon 4-0 in 2014, Nigeria 2-0 in 2018, and Morocco 0-0 this year.
3) None of the 19 previous third-place play-offs at the World Cup have gone to penalties, and only one has been decided in extra time (France-Belgium in 1986). A European nation has won the competition in each of the last 10 editions of the tournament since Brazil won 2-1 against Italy in 1978.
4) This is Croatia's third playoff appearance in the World Cup after defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in 1998.
5) Regardless of the result, Morocco will compete for the furthest an African nation has ever reached in World Cup history.
