On Saturday afternoon, Croatia and Morocco go head-to-head in the World Cup third-place play-off match.
Croatia form guideZlatko Dalic’s team suffered a 3-0 defeat against a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in the semi-finals. The South Americans had too much quality for Croatia, and it was a game too far for Luka Modric and his team.
Talking of the veteran midfielder, this will likely be the Real Madrid star's last appearance at a World Cup, while some of his older teammates may also be making their bows in the competition.
Despite making it to the final of the World Cup in 2018 and now the semi-finals in Qatar, Croatia has won just one of their last ten games in the competition in 90 minutes.
Their recent World Cup games have been relatively low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in three of their last four matches in the competition.
Morocco form guideThe Lions of Atlas have been one of the revelations of World Cup 2022. They became the first African nation to make it to the last eight of the World Cup, only to suffer a 2-0 defeat against reigning champions France in the semi-finals.
In truth, Walid Regragui’s team played well against Les Bleus. However, France’s ability to win when not playing particularly well shone through in the semi-final clash.
The defeat against Didier Deschamps’ team ended a ten-game unbeaten run in all competitions for Morocco.
Latest team newsCroatia are expected to be without defender Josip Stanisic. Head coach Zlatan Dalic may decide to rotate his starting line-up.
Morocco look set to be without central defensive pair Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saiss through injury. Aguerd missed the semi-final through injury, while Saiss had to go off injured during the defeat.
What am I backing?These two teams have both been involved in very cagey encounters so far at the World Cup. This will likely be a tight game, probably producing under 2.5 goals.
