Kick-Off: 3:30 PM IST
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium
Morocco and Croatia will get the World Cup matchday four proceedings underway with an afternoon kickoff.
The 2018 World Cup runner-ups will face the North African side nine hours before Belgium and Canada meet in the day’s last match.
Morocco made history in the 1986 World Cup when they topped their group to progress to the knockout stages. They were the first African team to become group champions in the competition. But the Atlas Lions have not been a regular World Cup playing team in recent history, having played in only one of the last five editions.
They did play in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Morocco suffered a group stage exit, but they put on commendable performances against heavyweights Portugal and Spain. An early Cristiano Ronaldo strike helped Portugal edge Morocco, and Spain had to rely on an injury-time Iago Aspas goal to share the spoils in a two-all draw.
It was not enough to grant them entry to the knockout stages, but Morocco received widespread acclaim for their impressive showings against stronger oppositions. But Morocco failed to build on their World Cup performance as they disappointed in the AFCON with back-to-back premature exits.
But Morocco head into the 2022 World Cup in great spirits.
They have steadied the ship after former head coach Vahid Halilhodžić fell out with many senior players. His replacement Walid Regragui has calmed the dressing room situation, which translated to on-pitch success.
Romain Saïss and company are unbeaten in their last five matches, with wins against South Africa, Chile, and Georgia.
Croatia will return to the World Cup stage four years after their Luzhniki Stadium heartbreak. The Balkan side were on the verge of winning their first World Cup title but narrowly missed out as France condemned them to a 4-2 defeat in the final.
Croatia exceeded expectations to reach that stage, but a World Cup final loss is hard to cope with, regardless of the circumstances. It showed in their disappointing Euro 2020 campaign, where they crashed out of the round of 16.
But Croatia have reoriented themselves under Zlatko Dalić, and they have a fantastic run of results behind them.
They won all of their last four UEFA Nations League fixtures. A victory over current world champions France on French soil is the highlight of that streak. Croatia top a group that have formidable forces like France, Denmark, and Austria.
After falling to a 5-3 defeat against Spain in a tumultuous Euro 2020 round of 16 affair, Croatia have played 16 matches, and a 3-0 defeat to Austria at home in June is the only dark spot in their otherwise spotless record.
They did avenge that defeat three months later when they travelled to Austria for the reverse fixture. Croatia wrapped up their World Cup preparations with a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia last week.
Morocco enjoyed a 3-0 win over Georgia in their last warm-up match.
Team News
We expect to see an almost unchanged starting XI against Croatia. Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat could be the only change in the lineup.
Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui will return on the defensive flanks, while captain Romain Saïss and Nayef Aguerd will pair up at the heart of Morocco’s defence.
Youssef En-Nesyri and Hakim Ziyech will shoulder the attacking responsibilities.
The evergreen Luka Modrić will partner Mateo Kovačić in midfield. Josip Stanišić will likely start at right-back.
Andrej Kramarić’s goal against Saudi Arabia should keep him ahead in the race, but Zlatko Dalić could hand Bruno Petković a start instead of the Hoffenheim striker.
Our Prediction
Morocco have many experienced players who play in top European leagues in their squad. But, Croatia are certainly ahead in terms of quality.
We expect this to be a closely fought encounter, but the bragging rights should go to Croatia. Our prediction is a 3-2 win for Croatia.
