Lionel Messi, Argentina vs. Croatia: Top World Cup Storylines, Odds, Live Stream
The last two World Cup runner-ups square off on Tuesday for a berth in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
Argentina is driven by Lionel Messi and the desire to win him a World Cup. Argentina got close in 2014, but it fell to Germany.
Croatia made a stunning run to the final in 2018, but its dream of winning was stymied by France.
Argentina and Croatia both carry a ton of knockout-round experience in their respective squads. Argentina won the 2021 Copa Ameríca and dealt well with the tests posed by Australia and the Netherlands in the last two rounds.
Croatia has become a knockout-round specialist at the World Cup. It has five victories through extra time or penalties at the last two World Cups.
The margins will be slim between both sides, and given that both teams went to penalties on Friday, we could see a low-scoring game that increases in intensity in the second half as both teams discover more energy.
Odds and Match Info
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
90-Minute Money Line
Argentina (-125; bet $125 to win $100)
Croatia (+400; bet $100 to win $400)
To Advance to Final
Argentina (-255)
Croatia (+205)
Match Info
Date: Tuesday, December 13
Start Time: 2 pm ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app
Argentina Looking to Keep Undefeated Semifinal Mark Alive
Argentina has never lost at the semifinal stage of the World Cup.
The Albiceleste made it to five World Cup finals and won twice in 1978 and 1986.
Lionel Messi has been the driving force of the team, as he has been for over a decade now.
Messi has a goal in each knockout-round game in Qatar and he has been a menace to opposing defenses by creating a handful of scoring opportunities.
Messi will play a big role in the contest, but he needs the supporting characters, like Julian Alvarez, to step up alongside him.
Croatia's defense conceded just twice in 240 minutes over the last two games. Dominik Livaković will be hard to beat in net.
Argentina does have the edge in chance creation. The South American side scored twice in each of its last four games.
Messi and Co. have shown they can take advantage of the small windows of space given to them in the final third. That could be the difference-maker to put away Croatia.
The Argentinian defense could be massive as well. That unit did not allow Australia to score a goal by one of its own players and it held the Netherlands scoreless for 83 minutes.
Argentina posted two clean sheets in the group stage, and for the most part, its defense has been effective in the knockout round.
Argentina is more than comfortable winning a 1-0 style game, which is exactly the way Croatia has played in knockout-round games over the last two World Cups.
Croatia Trying To Reach Consecutive Finals
Croatia was not a big player on the international stage before its run to the 2018 final.
Croatia appeared at many major tournaments, but it did not advance far, like it did in Russia and now in Qatar. The only outlier was their run to the semifinal at their first World Cup in 1998.
The European side won twice in penalties and once in extra time in 2018 and earned two penalty shootout wins in 2022.
The defensive structure is there for Croatia to frustrate Argentina and reach the final.
But Croatia needs a few superstar-quality plays in attack to match what Messi can do.
Luka Modrić and Ivan Perišić are the candidates to fill that role.
Perišić scored in the round of 16 against Japan, as well as in the 2018 semifinal and final.
Modrić can come up with a few moments of brilliance as well, whether it be with a shot from distance, or a line-breaking pass that sets up one of his teammates.
Modrić and Perišić are vital to Croatia's success and both of them need to be effective in the final third to put Argentina under pressure.
Defensively, the game plan will be the same as the quarterfinal win over Brazil. Croatia needs to slow down the superstar in attack and be sound positionally in front of Livaković.
Croatia can win this game by turning in another solid defensive outing, but if it is forced to score more than two goals, that could end up as a problem.
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