Bisnis.comJAKARTA – Argentina will face Croatia in the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup which will take place at Lusail Stadium on Wednesday (12/14/2022) at 02:00 WIB.

Argentina qualified for the semi-finals after beating the Netherlands on penalties after a 2-2 draw. The hot match confirmed the victory of the Albiceleste and will meet Croatia in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Croatia also eliminated tough opponents Brazil on penalties. In the match which took place at the City of Education Stadium, Brazil first managed to excel in extra time thanks to Neymar’s goal. However, Croatia responded to Neymar’s goal in the 117th minute through Bruno Petkovic’s kick.

The score ended 1-1 in the final round of extra time. The match then went to penalties and Croatian goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic became a hero by saving 2 penalty kicks.

Croatia managed 4 shots on goal and missed 1 time. Brazil, on the one hand, only managed to score 2 goals. Vatreni also has the right to qualify for the 2022 World Cup semi-finals.

During the match against Croatia in the semi-finals, Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni said his team was ready to give it their all. “We expected a tough game and it was against a very good team. They [Kroasia] will make things difficult for us,” Scaloni said as quoted by Al-Jazeera on Tuesday (12/13/2022).

In the semi-final match, their baseman, Angel Di Maria, is set to appear as the starting XI. He will work hand in hand to help Lionel Messi attack the Croatian defence.

Meanwhile, Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic said he prepared well for the game against Argentina. He asked his team to be disciplined to resist threats from Lionel Messi.

Dalic said Croatia would not implement a man-marking or tight-guarding strategy on Messi, but rather take a defensive approach like they did against Brazil against Neymar. In this quarter-final match, the Croatian defenders worked to minimize Neymar’s influence in the game.

“We have to be wary of Messi, but not in a man-to-man style. We know how much he runs, how much he likes to play with the ball at his feet and the key to our defensive phase is discipline,” Dalic said. on the official FIFA website.

Croatia themselves should appear full and still rely on the formation as in previous matches, namely 4-3-3. This formation is supported by the strength of the Croatian midfield which is filled with the best midfielders in the world such as Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozović and Mateo Kovacic.

Line-ups planned for Argentina vs Croatia

Argentina (4-3-3)

Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Nicolás Otamendi, Cristian Romero, Marcos Acuña; Alexis MacAllister, Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo DePaul; Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez.

Croatia (4-3-3)

Dominik Livakovic; Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa; Luca Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic; Ivan Perisic, Bruno Petkovic, Mario Pasalic.

Argentina vs. Croatia Stats

– Argentina is currently ranked 3rd in FIFA, while Croatia is ranked 12th.

– Argentina won Group C with 6 points thanks to their victories against Poland and Mexico.

– In the round of 16, Argentina won 2-1 against Australia.

– In the quarter-finals, Argentina won against the Netherlands on penalties, after drawing 2-2.

– In the preliminary round of the 2022 World Cup, Croatia managed to occupy second place in Group F with 5 points in 2 draws against Belgium and Morocco, and a victory against Canada.

– In the round of 16, Croatia beat Japan on penalties.

– In the quarter-finals, Croatia eliminated Brazil on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Head to head Argentina vs Croatia

4 meetings

2 times Argentina won

2 times Croatia won

Last four meetings

21/06/2018: Argentina 0-3 Croatia

12/11/2014: Argentina 2-1 Croatia

03/01/2006: Argentina 2-3 Croatia

26/06/1998: Argentina 1-0 Croatia

Score prediction for Argentina vs Croatia

Final score prediction according to WhoScored, Argentina 1-0 Croatia.

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