Croatia and Morocco are leaving their all, as they try to have a podium finish for the nearly-wrapped up Qatar 2022. These two teams meet after being defeated by Argentina and France, qualifying them to the Finals. A bronze medal is in line for this match, so they should still give their all in this match. Croatia lost to Argentina in a comfortable 3-0 lead by their opponent, when they meet for their semis match. As for Morocco, they had a valiant fight against the defending champions, but the French squad still came out victorious. This battle for the bronze medal will be on December 17, 2022, at 11:00 PM (GMT+8).
Morocco actually never won against Croatia because from the two meetings these two teams have, one is won by Croatia, and the other ended in draw. These two teams both had a resilient run in the World Cup, bravely eliminating two football giants. Croatia managed to defeat the favorites, Brazil, while Morocco eliminated Portugal. Morocco have been nothing but phenomenal this season, setting record as the first African team to reach this far. As for Croatia, they will play an inspired football for Luka Modric. Two unexpected teams entering the semi-finals match, who will have a podium finish among them?
Croatia
Croatia are the runners-up of the 2018 World Cup, but unfortunately, they were not able to qualify for the Finals this season. They come into this game after a 3-0 defeat against Argentina, who is now in the Finals. This team have been very consistent during their 2022 World Cup campaign. Actually none expected them to go this far, especially when they will be going against Brazil in the quarterfinals. To everyone’s surprise, they are the ones who qualified for the semis because of their penalties. This just proves that Croatia is still a capable team, even if their star is a little older than the others. Most likely, this will be Luka Modric’s final World Cup, and he must be proud of their campaign this year.
Injury adds insult for Croatia as they will be without Marcelo Brozovic, who withdrew on the 50th minute of their semis match due to discomfort. Gvardiol will also not be available in their final match as their manager do not want to risk a player who is not 100%.
Morocco
This is the team that eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal during the quarterfinals, but lost to France in the semis. However, despite failing to reach the Finals, their name will go down the history. They are the first African nation who reached as far as the semi-finals, an achievement they must be proud of. Additionally, they also have several guys who were able to leave a mark to their opponents. These are Sofyan Amrabat, Azzedine Ounahi, Bono, and Hakim Ziyech. Their impressive run this year will surely be taken note by their opponents for future matches against them.
Although their injured players returned for their semi-finals match, their manager will no longer risk his players in this game. So expect Aguerd, Mazraoui, and Saiss to be unavailable for this game.
Prediction:
Croatia (1.0)
Odds: 0.96
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