Argentina and Croatia meet in the first World Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
Argentina face Croatia for a place in the 2022 World Cup final on Sunday 18 December, but who is the favourite to progress to the final?
Argentina vs Croatia: match odds
The bookmakers are backing Argentina to beat Croatia. An Argentina win is priced at -110, while Croatia are valued at +375. A draw is priced at +240.
Possible Argentina XI:
Martínez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Di María, De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Mac Allister; Messi, Álvarez.
Possible Croatia XI:
Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic.
When does Argentina vs Croatia get underway?
The match between Argentina and Croatia starts on Tuesday 13 December 2022 at 2pm ET. That’s 11am PT. It will take place at the Lusail Stadium.
Argentina vs Croatia: prediction
Croatia have won their last two matches on penalties, beating Japan and favourites Brazil. Argentina also got over the line from the spot, when they defeated the Netherlands in a breathtaking clash on Friday.
You can only admire what Croatia have done in recent years. They reached the 2018 final before losing to France. They will be confident of reaching this year’s final too but will have to deal with the threat of Lionel Messi.
Messi could be the difference on the day. He was riled up by Louis van Gaal in the quarter-final clash with the Netherlands and showed why you should never doubt him.
Argentina, supported by a large Argentinian contingent in Qatar, should prevail in this one, despite the brilliance of Luka Modric and Croatia’s fighting spirit.
Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Croatia