2022 FIFA World Cup
Tuesday 13th December 2022
Kick off at 7pm GMT
Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium
Match Preview:
Argentina will feel that they are so close now to World Cup glory but they could end up being so far within 90 minutes. The most important thing is that their dream remains alive, could they win their first World Cup in 36 years? The focus really will be on Lionel Messi who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time of course and yet the World Cup has eluded him up until now. Argentina did reach the 2014 final with him but were beaten 1-0 by Germany.
Argentina reached the semi-finals in epic fashion after they knocked out the Netherlands on penalties however that game had finished 2-2 after extra time. But Argentina almost blew it as with 8 minutes remaining they were leading 2-0 and yet let Louis van Gaal’s side back in the game. There is a steel mentality to this Argentina side which has been missing in previous sides even though at least on paper they have possessed quality players. Messi is really on his game and while clearly this isn’t prime Messi it is one with passion, hunger and heart and that is evidently going a long way. If he isn’t scoring goals he is making them and that is great news for the nation. However Argentina has a history of losing the plot so to speak when their players can cause terrible tackles, get moody and quite frankly abandon playing the game. We have seen this through the years most notably in 1990 but also in 1966 and 1982 and that seems to have followed this team who were lucky not to have a man sent off against the Dutch.
Croatia start as the underdogs but they have an incredible self belief about them. Some may believe it is odd that Luka Modric’s side aren’t even the favourites to win because of course last time out in Russia they were the runners up and they could well get to a final again, we could even have a repeat of the 2018 final, all is up for grabs. In their quarter final they stunned Brazil the pre tournament favourites as they went through on penalties. The game finished 1-1 but with just 3 minutes of extra time left Croatia were trailing but they have consistently had an attitude of never giving up and it has paid them dividends. Were they really better than Brazil though? That is up to opinion, but there is no getting away from the fact that this team do not lie down and never know when it’s over and that could be a genuine problem for Argentina the longer the game remains at 0-0. Croatia also has the unique opportunity of knocking out both South American giants.
Team News:
Argentina: Marcus Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel are suspended for this game due to picking up their second yellow cards during their victory over the Netherlands. Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Di Maria are both expected to be fit for this game but both had niggling strains and will be assessed.
Croatia: The nation has no injury worries coming into this encounter.
Argentina vs Croatia Head to Head:
There have been 5 games between the sides and it’s all equal: 2 wins for Argentina, 2 for Croatia and 1 draw.
The last time the teams played was at the 2018 World Cup where Croatia won 3-0.
Croatia have won 2 of the last three meetings.
The nations have met in two World Cups with Croatia winning in 2018 and Argentina winning 1-0 in 1998.
The last 3 meetings have all seen over 2.5 goals.
Argentina vs Croatia Prediction:
With some companies you can get Croatia at 5.00 to win and that seems very generous. It’s true that Argentina bring the skill and slickness and they should at least on paper win. But look how well Croatia have dictated the pace of games and in their body shape and tactics have made it really difficult for the opposition. Against Brazil they went into that game knowing that the Brazilians had just clicked putting 4 goals past a decent South Korean side and yet it was business as usual as for the most part Croatia limited what Brazil could do. It was an incredible victory in the end and we say that also because lady luck was present. After all Brazil did have 11 shots on target to Croatia’s 1. If the same was to happen again could Croatia really get away with it.
We know that there are many sides to this Argentina side, and let’s face it despite some of their brilliance which has been mostly conjured up by Lionel Messi they have a destructive side too, one wonders if Croatia could tap into that? It might be worth backing to see a red card in this game and while no genuine fan wants to see any players missing out on a final that doesn’t mean that this game won’t boil over. As for this game we will be backing Croatia to push it to extra time at least, they have come an awful long way now and while Argentina have the greater quality, Croatia will be a big test if they stick to their game plan they should make things very difficult for the favourites.
Argentina vs Croatia Betting Tips:
Double chance (Croatia or draw) at 1.98
Anytime goalscorer: Lionel Messi at 2.20
The 'PLACE BET' button will take you to BetUK.com, where these selections can be found. Please gamble responsibly, 18+ BeGambleAware.org
© Copyright topfootballtipster.com 2019
