Argentina vs Croatia: The major factors in FIFA World Cup semi final
Argentina vs Croatia face off in the first FIFA World Cup 2022 semi-final on Tuesday at the Lusail Stadium. You can watch the game here.
As we approach the tournament’s semi-finals, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is entering the serious phase of play. Argentina, one of the tournament’s favourites, will face one of the tournament’s underdogs.
Croatia has advanced to the World Cup semi-finals for the second time in a row. The European team defeated Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Argentina advanced to the semi-finals after defeating the Netherlands on penalties in the quarter-finals. Lionel Messi is aiming to win his first World cup with Argentina and claim the GOAT status.
Argentina not the favourites to win against Croatia.
On BetMGM, Argentina is a -300 favourite to defeat Croatia, who although making their second straight appearance in the final four, may not be receiving the credit they deserve.
Croatia entered the competition as a +5000 underdog and was not considered a favourite, but they have excelled in the knockout rounds and will be feeling good after defeating Brazil in a penalty shootout last week.
Can Croatia and Luka Modric find more magic?
Argentina vs Croatia Predictions
Possible Matchup :Luka Modric vs. Rodrigo de Paul — De Paul has served as Argentina’s middle pressure player, aiding the defence with his tireless running and tracking down. Despite Modric’s lack of mobility, De Paul should be the one to mark him in the attacking third and try to take the ball out of his feet.
Player to watch out for: Lionel Messi will be the player to watch out for as he is very lethal in getting the ball through and creating an attack that can cripple the Croatian defence in the blink of an eye. He is now scored 4 goals in the tournament, he will be the main anchor to put Argentina through to the finals.
Match Predictions
Argentina was the subject of many doubts following their unexpected loss to Saudi Arabia on Matchday 1. They were a favourite to win the tournament because of Messi, but did they deserve it?
By winning their final two group-stage games and then overcoming Australia, La Albiceleste appeared to have provided an answer. Even still, it appeared that the team’s serious weaknesses were hidden by even those results.
The market seemed to pick up on that, and it appeared that the South Americans may struggle mightily against a Dutch club that would be the greatest team they had faced by a significant margin.
In a violent contest that saw a record 18 yellow cards issued, Argentina would overcome the Netherlands.
Messi’s brilliant assist and a successful penalty gave La Albiceleste a 2-0 lead, but they allowed the Dutch to level the score, forcing extra time and penalties to advance to the semifinals.
Argentina’s inability to finish the game was a worrying indicator, especially in light of the fact that they narrowly lost their previous game to underdog Australia after holding a two-goal advantage. Right now, it’s difficult to have faith in Argentina’s defence and ability to end a game.
Croatia’s defence has also been weak throughout the competition, but the Checkered Ones appeared to have perfected the philosophy of “bend but don’t break.” The Croatians held the tournament favourites without a goal after 90 minutes despite being out-chanced by Brazil in the previous round. They took the game to extra time and brought it to penalties to reach the semi finals.
The majority of the predictions go towards Croatia who take it to Extra time and win the game.
