Croatia vs Morocco, December 17: Head-to-Head Statistics, Line-ups, Prediction for the 2022 World Cup Match

Croatia are set to face Morocco for the second time in this World Cup in Qatar, with more at stake compared to their first face off. They proceeded from the same group F with Morocco as winners and Croatia as runners up. They have had a great tournament so far, with both teams getting to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Croatia suffered a 3-0 loss to Argentina while Morocco lost to reigning champions France 2-0 in their semi final fixtures.

While Croatia aims to repeat their third place triumph from 1998, the Atlas Lions, the first African side ever to advance to the final four, will also be looking to make more history and finish third in this tournament.

• Date- 17th December 2022;
• Time- 3pm GMT;
• Venue- Khalifa International Stadium;
• Stage- World Cup 2022 Third Place Playoff;

As the tournament goes to a close, fans in the UK can watch this third place playoff match live on Tv via:

• BBC One;
• BBC iPlayer;
• BBC sports website;

Fans in the US can also catch the game live on Tv via Fox Sports, Telemundo, Fubotv, Peacock Premium,Vidgo, and Sling Blue.

Viewers in Canada can catch all the action on TV via TSN and RDS.

The consistency of Croatia must be admired. After making it to the FIFA World Cup finals in 2018, they have again outperformed expectations to go to the semis this championship, defeating Brazil in the process. Luka Modric, who is likely playing in his final World Cup, will be happy with what he has accomplished with the national team.

Only a few attackers have overcome RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol in defense,but even he couldn't stand a chance against a 35-year-old Messi. Messi scored one and assisted another after beating Gvardiol at the back in spectacular fashion to beat a strong Croatian side to the finals.Croatia National team got to this point without winning a match in regular time in all the knockout games, but Zlatko Dalic's side is well experienced at this stage of the tournament.

While the 2018 finalists who were eliminated haven't advanced to the final, securing a second third-place position would still be a tremendous accomplishment for a nation with only about four million citizens.

Marcelo Brozovic and Josep Gvardiol are doubts coming into this match due to injuries, Croatia manager Dalic confirmed that he will not play anyone who is not fully fit.

Croatia National Team Form(All competitions)- (D,W,D,W,W,L).

An impressive Morocco team was very dangerous against France in the semifinals, but injuries and lack of enough threat in front of goal cost them as they lost 2-0 to defending champions France.

The current crop of Moroccan athletes will undoubtedly return to their country as national heroes, and they may even fly home with the third place playoff winners tag and more history.

Regragui's team could still become the first country to hold five clean sheets in one World Cup tournament since Spain's victorious team of 2010, even though Hernandez broke through their defense with barely five minutes remaining on Wednesday.

Aguerd, Mazraoui, and Saiss were all unexpectedly recovered by Regragui for their semis, but they withdrew one at a time — in Aguerd's case, shortly before the game began.

Saiss was also substituted after 20 minutes as Olivier Giroud outran him for speed, while Mazraoui left the game at the half to put Regragui back to the drawing board in terms of injuries. He confirmed in his latest press conference that the captain Saiss is already out of this fixture.

In their previous meeting in the group stage, Morocco limited Croatia to just five five shot attempts, and they will be looking to better this performance while they play to become the first African team to finish third in World Cup history.

Morocco National Team Form(All competitions)- (D,W,W,W,W,L).

Expected Croatia National Team starting XI vs Morocco(4-3-3) : Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Sutalo, Sosa; Modric, Jakic, Kovacic; Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic.

Expected Morocco National Team Starting XI vs Croatia(4-3-3) : Bono; Hakimi, El-Yamiq, Dari, Attiyat-Allah; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.

Croatia are bookie favorites coming into this fixture due to their experience at the latter stages of the tournament with odds of 2.35 at Bet365. Morocco are outsiders to win this match at odds of 3.188 at Coinplay. A draw, which has a high likelihood of happening based on their recent fixtures, is placed at odds of 3.40 at Betway.

An under 2.5 goals bet is also very likely to happen at odds of 1.90 at Bet365.

Morocco have a tournament to remember so far in Qatar, having kept four clean sheets and conceded only thrice so far in this World Cup, twice in one game. They may have injuries but they have a lot of tactical discipline. Croatia on the other side have had a mixed tournament so far, but with the experience they have at this level, they can also make a huge difference. We predict a draw or a Morocco 1-0 win in this high stakes match.