World Football

Just eight countries remain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with some true powerhouses still standing.

Four of them will be in action on Friday. Below, we'll break down those matches and take a look at the odds for quarterfinal play.

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World Cup Quarterfinal Odds

Croatia vs. Brazil

Time: 10 a.m. ET on Fox

Odds: Croatia (+800; bet $100 to win $800), Brazil (-270; bet $270 to win $100), draw (+400)

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Netherlands vs. Argentina

Time: 1 p.m. ET on Fox

Odds: Netherlands (+260), Argentina (+125), draw (+220)

Odds via DraftKings

Preview and Predictions

Brazil is going to be the heavy favorite against Croatia, and justifiably so, after running roughshod over South Korea, 4-1.

The Seleção simply have more talent than the 2018 World Cup runner-up, led by the attacking group of Neymar, Richarlison, Vinicius Jr. and Raphinha. That group was responsible for three of the four goals against South Korea, and they give Brazil a number of ways to break down an opponent's defense.

Croatia, meanwhile, needed penalties to get past Japan, which was its blueprint back in 2018 as well in the knockout stages. The Vatreni needed penalties to get past Denmark in the round of 16 and Russia in the quarterfinals before beating England 2-1 in extra time in the semifinals and losing 4-2 to France in the final.

Croatia will try to slow the game down, control the play through Luka Modrić and the midfield and bottle up Brazil's dangerous attack. But Croatia also has a lot of older players, and dealing with Brazil's speed and attacking flair is no small feat.

The Vatreni won't pull it off. Look for Brazil to win, 2-0.

The other game is a bit tougher to call. Argentina will have the best player on the pitch in Lionel Messi, has largely held possession in its four games and has only given up two goals. Ceding possession will suit the Netherlands, which allowed the United States to hold a large percentage of possession before smoking them on the counter-attack repeatedly.

But Argentina isn't the United States. The Albiceleste have Messi, for starters, and a slew of more experienced and talented players behind him. This should be a fun contrast of styles, but Argentina will get the better of its counterparts in an intriguing 2-1 win.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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Lionel Messi is due for a new contract, and while there has been speculation about his potential departure from Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, team president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is confident he will remain with the club beyond 2023.

Khelaifi said, per ESPN:

"He's very happy, you can see that with the national team. If a player's not happy you will see their performance not good for the national team. He performed fantastic this season for us, he's scored a lot of goals and assists for the national team and for the club.

"So what we agreed together—that after the World Cup, [we] sit down together. But both sides—our side of the club and him—are very happy, so we will talk after the World Cup."

In addition to re-signing Messi, PSG has also been listed as a possible destination for Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, whose contract with the Premier League side expires after the 2022-23 season.

Al-Khelaifi addressed the possibility of adding Rashford on a free transfer, and he was candid in his response:

"He's another player that is really amazing. And for free? To have Rashford for free, every club would run after him, definitely. We're not hiding it, we spoke before and ... [there was] interest. But the moment was not a good moment for both sides. Maybe, summer, why not?

"Today if he's a free agent of course we can talk to him directly but we are not going to talk to him now. Let him focus on the World Cup. Then after in January, hopefully, if we're interested we will talk to him."

Messi joined PSG ahead of the 2021-22 season. In 26 Ligue 1 games last year, he notched six goals and 14 assists. Before heading to the World Cup this year, the Argentine enjoyed a much better start to the 2022-23 campaign, notching seven goals and 10 assists in 13 games.

Before signing with PSG, Messi had spent the first 17 years of his career with La Liga side Barcelona, where he established himself as one of the best players in the world. He would have remained with the club, but it was unable to re-sign him because of financial issues.

A November report indicated that Messi was going to leave PSG to sign with Major League Soccer's Inter Miami, but ESPN reported that he had not agreed to join the team owned by David Beckham.

As for Rashford, he has spent the first eight seasons of his career with Manchester United. Before joining England for the World Cup, he posted four goals and two assists in 14 Premier League games.

Rashford's best season came in 2019-20, when he scored 17 goals and had seven assists in 31 league matches.

PSG have also expressed interest in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Al-Khelaifi's team is sitting in first place in Ligue 1 with a 13-2-0 record. Adding either Rashford or Bellingham to a squad that already includes Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar might make them even more dangerous but could lead to problems fitting so many stars on to the teamsheet.

The Portuguese Football Federation has denied reports that Cristiano Ronaldo planned to leave the national team after learning he was out of the starting lineup in the round of 16.

"News released this Thursday reports that Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos, national coach," the organization said in a statement, via the Guardian. "The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the internship in Qatar."

Santos dropped Ronaldo as a starter for the match against Switzerland, which Portugal won 6-1. Portuguese newspaper Record (h/t Oli Gamp of the Daily Mail) reported the veteran responded by holding tense talks with Santos and wanted to leave the team before the end of the World Cup.

The national team says that is not the case and that Ronaldo has an "unquestionable degree of commitment to the national team."

Ronaldo started each of the three group-stage matches for Portugal, scoring one goal on a penalty kick. The squad had two wins and a loss, scoring six goals while winning the group.

Santos opted for a different lineup in the round of 16, replacing the 37-year-old striker with 21-year-old Gonçalo Ramos. The decision paid off as Ramos tallied a hat trick in a dominant victory as Portugal reached the quarterfinals.

Ronaldo was subbed on in the 73rd minute but did not score.

Though Portugal denies the rumors that surround Ronaldo, he has had conflicts with his coaches in recent months.

The superstar was visibly frustrated when he was subbed off in the 65th minute in the 2-1 loss to South Korea in the group stage.

"I didn't like it. Didn't like it at all," Santos said of Ronaldo's reaction after the match. "From there, it's things you sort out internally."

Manchester United also terminated his contract by mutual agreement during the World Cup after he criticized club manager Erik ten Hag in an interview with Piers Morgan.

Portugal will hope Ronaldo and the rest of the team can focus on the task at hand when they face Morocco on Saturday.

England will reportedly have one of their marquee players available for Saturday's highly anticipated World Cup quarterfinal match against France.

James Olley of ESPN noted that Raheem Sterling will rejoin the squad Friday after returning to England because there was a robbery at his home.

"The Chelsea forward temporarily left to attend to a family matter but is now expected to rejoin the squad in Al Wakrah on Friday (9 December) ahead of the quarter-final with France," a statement from the Football Association read.

Sterling left the team ahead of its 3-0 victory over Senegal on Sunday.

"It is a private matter with him, but it's never easy to see one of your teammates and friends have to deal with something like that," England captain Harry Kane told reporters. "We will take it day by day and take the best decision for him and his family. From us as a team we send him our best and hope to see him as soon as possible."

Manager Gareth Southgate echoed those sentiments and said, "Sometimes football isn't the most important thing and family should come first."

According to Olley, police have arrested two people. However, "the men are not believed to be involved in a second incident, a reported armed break-in, which is alleged to have taken place last Saturday evening."

Police told BBC nobody was home at the time of the break-in.

Sterling started two games for England during the group stage and notched a goal and an assist during their opening 6-2 victory over Iran.

His side may need plenty of offensive firepower to keep up with France, who are the reigning World Cup champions and feature Kylian Mbappé as the centerpiece of their offensive attack. Mbappé scored twice in his team's round-of-16 win over Poland.

Sterling, who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, is joint-22nd on England's scoring charts with 20 goals in 81 appearances for his country.