Croatia vs Morocco Preview

Morocco and Croatia will battle for the bronze trophy in the 2022 FIFA World Cup this Saturday when they meet at the Khalifa International Stadium.

Croatia’s attempt to make it to back-to-back World Cup finals ended abruptly last time when they were beaten 3-0 by a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina side.

The Paris Saint-Germain attacker was at his mesmerising best against Croatia last time when both sides met in the semifinals, scoring the opener before playing a part in the two goals scored by Julián Álvarez.

That loss ended a run of eleven games without defeat for Croatia who had beaten Brazil, Belgium and Canada on their way to the semis.

With another final appearance now over, Zlatko Dalic’s side will now look to at least go home with a tangible prize–the bronze medal–plus a reported extra $2m in prize money for the victor.

They will be facing a Morocco side they couldn’t break down the last time both sides met in the group stage. Although Croatia have enjoyed good results in this World Cup, they have also struggled, especially in the knockouts where they failed to win within 90 minutes.

For Morocco, they bow out of this tournament with their heads held high. The North African side made history when they beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals, becoming the first African side to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.

They even outplayed World Cup holders France in patches in their 2-0 loss last time so they will be confident of another strong performance this time.

However, they might be plagued again by the injuries that stopped them against France with the lack of fitness for key defenders Romain Saïss and Nayef Aguerd one of the major reasons their defence was breached twice against Les Bleus.

Regardless of the injuries, Walid Regragui’s side remain a huge threat to any team and will fancy their chances of getting a win after recording wins over European heavyweights Spain and Portugal.