Croatia vs Belgium Prediction: A tricky matchup for each side

Belgium, the favorites in Group F, will play Croatia at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Thursday. As they prepare for their final match in the group, the Red Devils are now in third place, one point behind the Checkered Ones and Morocco in first and second place, respectively.

Croatia Starting 11 (4-3-3): Livakovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Juranovic, Sosa, Brozovic, Modric, Kovacic, Kramaric, Perisic, Livaja.

Belgium Starting 11 (3-5-2): Courtois, Vertonghen, Castagne, Alderweireld, Witsel, Onana, Hazard, Meunier, De Bruyne, Hazard, Batshuayi.

Last Five Matches: WDWWW

FIFA World Ranking: 12th

After starting the tournament with a scoreless draw against Morocco in Group F, Croatia defeated Canada 4-1 on Sunday to advance to the round of 16. Canada was eliminated from the tournament. With Alphonso Davies putting Canada ahead after just 67 seconds, the Checkered Ones had to work for the three points. However, goals from Andrej Kramaric and Marko Livaja towards the end of the first half turned the game around. Twenty minutes from the end, Kramaric scored his second of the match, and then, in stoppage time, Lovro Majer scored to give Croatia three points and the lead in Group F. The 2018 World Cup runner-ups need only a draw against Belgium to advance to the knockout rounds, as Zlatko Dalic's squad currently leads their group with four points (only ahead of Morocco in second on goals scored). If the Checkered Ones win, they will be in the first place regardless of how Morocco does against Canada. Croatia, rated 12th in the world by FIFA, comes into Thursday's match riding high on the momentum of an undefeated eight-match streak across all competitions and the fact that they have lost only one of their past 18 international matches since Euro 2020.

Last Five Matches: LWLLW

FIFA World Ranking: 2nd

Belgium's golden generation, who finished third at the World Cup in Russia just four years ago - their best-ever result at a major tournament - now faces the prospect of an early exit at the group stage in Qatar. The Red Devils beat a brave Canada side 1-0 in their opening Group F match, but on Sunday, they were beaten 2-0 by Morocco after late goals from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal. Reports have surfaced that Romelu Lukaku had to intervene to stop a fight between Kevin De Bruyne and Jan Vertonghen in the dressing room after the game while rioting broke out on the streets of Brussels. Although Brazil and Argentina, two of this year's pre-tournament favorites, have older squads on average than Belgium's, De Bruyne's baffling claims that he and his teammates are "too old" to win the World Cup have not helped Belgium's cause. There is mounting pressure on Roberto Martinez to advance his team from Group H, and a win against Croatia would be crucial for the Red Devils' chances of advancing to the round of 16. If Morocco loses to Canada by three or more goals, a draw will be good enough for them to finish in second place.

Dalic and company will feel confident they have a good chance to capitalize on the dismal form that Thursday's opponents are fighting to escape. The Balkan nation has yet to beat Belgium since gaining a 1-0 friendly triumph in 2010. While the world's number two-ranked Belgian national football team has lost three of their last four games across all competitions, they are unbeaten in their last three meetings with Croatia, including a narrow 1-0 friendly win in June of last year.

Prediction: While Croatia needs a draw to advance to the round of 16, Belgium must win on Thursday or risk being eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. While Belgium has talents who, on their day, can make a difference in a big game, Dalic's cohesive Croatian side has looked better through the first two group games, and I think we can safely predict that the 2018 finalists will emerge victorious and finish atop their group.

• Belgium to Win
• Both Teams to Score No
• Under 2.5

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