The two teams meet with the knowledge that a spot in the championship game is on the line and that winning the trophy may be as close as one more game.
Argentina wants to make it to their sixth World Cup final, and Croatia wants to become the fourth country from Europe to win back-to-back championships.
Is Luka Modric the most talented midfielder in his age group? How excellent is Josko Gvardiol exactly? Which Croatian celebrity has had a “real Cinderella story” of a career?
Join our expert panel as they examine Croatia and how they’ve consistently managed to perform above their weight at World Cups on today’s episode of the Athletic Football Podcast.
Croatia has appeared to be a more cohesive team throughout the competition. Remember that Croatia has surrounded Luka Modric with an excellent midfield in the last two tournaments, whilst Argentina has never quite found the right player to balance out Lionel Messi.
Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic have all faced off against Messi at the greatest level.
I’m going to predict that Croatia fights to a 1-0 lead and holds onto it to advance to the World Cup final for a second time in a row.
