At the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan on Saturday, Croatia will play Morocco in the third-place playoff of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Croatia and Morocco have already played to a 0-0 tie on Matchday 1 of 2018 World Cup, making this their second meeting.
Croatia was only allowed five shots, which was a World Cup match record low for them.
Having played to a 0-0 tie on matchday one, this is Croatia and Morocco’s second encounter during 2017 World Cup.
Read Also:Moroccan Football Federation Drags Referee Ramos To FIFA
Croatia was only allowed five shots, which was a World Cup match record low for them.
Croatia has kept a clean sheet in all three of its World Cup games against African opponents thus far, defeating Cameroon 4-0 in 2014, Nigeria 2-0 in 2018, and Morocco 0-0 this year.
In the previous 19 World Cup third-place play-off games, none have gone to penalties, and only one has been decided in extra time (France v Belgium in 1986).
Croatia made five changes to the team that lost to Argentina in the semi-finals before today’s match.
With Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Borna Sosa, Marcelo Brozovic, and Mario Pasalic withdrawing, Josip Stanisic, Josip Sutalo, Mislav Orsic, Marko Livaja, and Lovro Majer all join the team.
With Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea as his teammate, Luka Modric serves as captain.
Croatia Starting XI:
Livakovic, Stanisic, Gvardiol, Sutalo, Majer, Kovacic, Modric, Perisic, Livaja, Orsic, Kramaric.
Morocco makes three changes from the team that lost to France in their previous match.
Along with Yahya Attiat-Allah and Bilal El Khannouss, former Huddersfield winger Abdelhamid Sabiri makes his debut.
Both injured captain Romain Saiss and Bayern Munich fullback Noussair Mazraoui are out.
Azzedine Ounahi, the tournament’s breakthrough star, is on the bench, and West Ham’s Nayef Aguerd is not deemed healthy enough to start.
Hakim Ziyech, a forward for Chelsea, is named captain.
Morocco Staring XI:
Bounou, Hakimi, Dari, El Yamiq, Attiat-Allah, Amrabat, El Khannouss, Ziyech (c), Sabiri, Boufal, En-Nesyri.