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On 13 December, the Lusail Iconic Stadium will host the first semi-final match of the 2022 World Cup. Argentina and Croatia will play at 21:00 Kiev time.

Argentina

The upcoming semi-final for Albiceleste will be sixth at the World Championships. And the previous five Argentines have consistently won. Of course, Messi and company will want to continue this tradition, which is enjoyable in every way.

Argentina’s national team reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup. And not without a little luck. Maybe this is really the case where the strongest get lucky?

At first, in the quarter-final match against the Netherlands, Scaloni’s wards were doing just fine. They were two goals ahead and there was little time left in the game. However, van Gaal’s team managed not only to recover a ball, but also to maintain balance.

Everything was decided in the penalty shootout, where the Argentines were more cool and accurate than their opponents.

In that match, both teams gave their fans many positive game moments. However, they also presented many unpleasant incidents, often referred to as “unsportsmanlike conduct.” In this “attraction”, the winners, to whom FIFA filed a disciplinary action, were more noted. He got the Dutch team. But they don’t care anymore – they just finished the 2022 World Cup.

But whether there will be serious disciplinary sanctions against some players of the Argentine national team, especially Messi and Emiliano Martinez, who allowed them to criticize the referee publicly, and Otamendi and Paredes, who disrespected the opponent, matchday we, the Croats, will find out.

It is indicative that in the first round of the playoffs – in the match against the Australian team – the Argentines also had a confident 2-0 lead at first, but allowed themselves to relax at the end of the meeting. And a shaky advantage like 2:1 didn’t hold up smoothly either.

So, there is a clear reason to say that the Scaloni team has certain problems with concentration throughout the match: the team can score other people’s goals quite easily, but just as easily relax and concede their own goals.

On the other hand, the quarterfinals against the Dutch showed that Albiceleste’s physical skills were more or less normal: they did not get stuck in overtime and looked more fit than their opponents.

In the context of the Argentina national team, it is mandatory to indicate its captain and leader in italics. The current world championship will be the last for Lionel Messi and the 35-year-old veteran wants to spend it on a positive note. He really wants to be a world champion and does everything possible for that.

According to the general opinion, Qatari Mundial Leo has a much better standing than the 2014 World Cup, where the Argentines also reached the semi-finals and then the final. Now Messi’s contribution to the team’s game cannot be overestimated. According to the “goal + pass” system, Messi has six points: four goals and two assists. Messi became the first Argentine to stand out in four world championships.

Also, Leo is in the top ten for the number of goals scored in the World Cup (he already has 10 good shots and is definitely not going to stop there). In addition, Messi broke the record of the great Maradona in terms of the number of matches for the Argentina national team in the World Cup: 24 against 21.

So Messi will definitely do more to play in the 2022 World Cup final.

Croatia

“They are going to the World Cup instead of participating” – this is how many fans and experts perceived the current assistant world champion’s trip to Qatar from this perspective.

Indeed, four years later, the Dalic team looked neither brilliant nor one of the tournament favourites, compared to the 2018 World Cup in which the Balkans were resounding. Modric and company have aged, at least they should get out of the group – this was the general theme of expectations from the “chess” game at the 2022 World Cup.

However, skeptics were significantly confused.

It is worth noting that reaching the playoffs is not easy for the Croats. So hard.

In the opening match, Dalić’s wards drew a very late draw with Morocco – 0:0. Then there was the defeat of Canada – 4:1. But in the third match (against the Belgians) – again pale zeros, but this allowed the team to reach the playoffs.

Japan was waiting for them there. The Croatians were the first to accept, but they found the strength to even the score. The result of the match was determined in the penalty shootout, in which the goalkeeper of the Croatian national team, Livakovic, was a hero.

He also became a hero in the next “lottery” series – in the quarterfinals against Brazil. In that match, the Croats were again the first to accept (already in overtime), but again found the strength to make up and turn the game into a penalty duel where Livakovic shined again.

Both at the 2018 World Cup and at the tournament in Qatar, the excellent physical preparation of the Croats stands out. They already played in two overtimes and were not inferior to their opponents in terms of movement and speed.

As before, Luka Modric plays a key role in building the Croatian national team. The 37-year-old captain connects the team’s defense and midfield. He may not be as bright as four years ago, but his role in the team is still decisive.

However, unlike the Argentine national team, the Croatian national team is not so dependent on its leader. Dalic’s team is more flexible tactically, more rigid in terms of playmaking. He may not be as spectacular in creation as his opponent in the semifinals, but he will definitely want to make it to the World Cup final for the second time in a row.

personal meetings

So far, in the relations of rivals – parity. Opponents got two wins, one duel ended in a draw. The last head-to-head match took place four years ago at the 2018 World Cup, when Croatia and Argentina played in the same group. Then the “checkers” did not leave a single chance to Messi and the company, who scored a landslide 3:0. After this meeting, the legendary Maradona made a heartfelt note that Modric regretted that he was not Argentine.

Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Croatia beat Argentina at 2018 World Cup

Conflict prediction

Both teams are not only experienced and tactically savvy, but also quite mature. The average age of the Croatian national team is 27.4, and the corresponding figure for Argentines is even higher – 27.9. However, both teams were well prepared physically. It is possible that the result of the match will not be determined in the regular time.

If we talk about game discipline and defensive bastions, then the Europeans have a slight advantage in this regard. But in terms of offensive power, Messi and the company already have an advantage here.

The individual level of the Argentina national team is also slightly higher than that of the Croatian national team. Also, Lionel Scaloni seems to have more leverage. In the sense that the mentor of the Latin American team is still higher in staff selection. Because it has a “longer” queue for spares.

The last two nuances, in our opinion, will tip the scales in favor of “albiceleste”. Suppose Argentina wins by one ball.

Approximate compositions:

Argentina: E. Martinez, Lisandro Martinez, Romero, Otamendi, Molina Paredes, De Paul, Fernandez, McAllister, Lautaro Martinez, Messi

Croatia: Livakovic, Sosa, Guardiol, Lovren, Juranovic, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Perisic, Kramaric, Vlasic.

Will not play: Acuna (Argentina) –

Tuesday, December 13

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