Croatia vs Morocco FIFA World Cup 2022 third-place playoff: Match prediction, preview, head to head & lineup

Croatia and Morocco have previously played in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2022, making this their second encounter. Few people would have predicted that these two would face off in the championship round, but they have brought honour to their respective countries. In contrast to Morocco, who had a fantastic run all the way to the semifinals, Croatia's performance in the FIFA World Cup 2022 was standard fare. The only match between the sides prior to the event was in December 1996, when Croatia defeated Morocco in the Hassan II Trophy on penalties following a dramatic 2-2 draw. As Morocco went on to win the group ahead of the European heavyweights, the group-stagematch ended scorelessly.

Croatia vs Morocco Head to Head

Croatia vs Morocco competed in Hassan II Trophy on 11 December 1996 where the match resulted in a 2-2 draw. On 23 November, Croatia vs. Morocco fetched no goals for any team in the FIFA World Cup match.Croatia defeated Belgium and Canada in the group stage, but they still had to fight their way through to the next level. They qualified for the knockout stage as Group F runners-up after victories against Canada and 0-0 draws against Belgium and Morocco. They then defeated Japan in a penalty shootout, which was followed by an outstanding victory over Brazil, also in a penalty shootout. However, Argentina ended their campaign by eliminating them in the semifinal round.

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On the other hand, Morocco began its World Cup campaign against Croatia and has since participated in some giant-killing feats against Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. The African team, the first from the FIFA World to make it to the semifinals, defeated Belgium 2-0 in the group stage before defeating Spain on penalties and Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinal. Then, the reigning champions France ended their journey by defeating them 0-2 in the semifinal.

Croatia during FIFA World Cup 2022 so far

Matchday 1 resulted in Croatia vs. Morocco 0-0, Matchday 2 Croatia vs. Canada was 4-1, Matchday 3 was Croatia 0-0 against Belgium. In the round of 16, Croatia vs. Japan was 1-1, Croatia was winner on penalties with 3-1. In the quarterfinals, Croatia was 1-1 against Brazil and later Croatia won on penalties with a 4-2. In the Semifinals against Argentina, Croatia lost the match with a 3-0.

Morocco during FIFA World Cup 2022 so far

Matchday 1 was Croatia 0-0 against Morocco. Matchday 2 was Morocco vs. Belgium in a 2-0. Matchday 3 was a stunning win for Morocco with a 2-1 against Canada. In the round of 16, Spain against Morocco was 0-0 but later Morocco won on penalties with a 3-0. In the quarterfinals, Morocco win with a 1-0 in a clash against Portugal. In the semifinals match, France won with a 2-0 in a clash against Morocco.

World Cup Record

Croatia

Croatia has made a total of 6 appearances with the first played in 1998. The best result was when they were runners-up in 2018.

Morocco

Morocco made a total of 6 appearances with the first in 1970. Their best result was in the semifinals in 2022.

Croatia vs Morocco at FIFA World Cup 2022 predicted lineup

Croatia: Livakovic; Gvardiol, Juranovic, Lovren, Sosa; Kovacic, Modric, Brozovic; Perisic, Kramaric, Livaja

Morocco: Bounou; Saiss, Mazraoui, Hakimi, Aguerd; Amallah, Amrabat, Ounahi; Boufal, Ziyech, En-Nesyri

Croatia vs Morocco date, kick-off time and venue

The FIFA World Cup 2022 third-place playoff encounter will take place on Saturday, 17 December. The match will kick-off at 8:30 PM IST or 6:00 PM Local Time. Venue for the game is Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan.

Goal Prediction: Croatia vs Morocco: 1-0