World Cup semifinals

The World Cup semifinals of 2022 have begun. There are four teams left in the tournament after an exciting round of 16 and quarterfinal round. There are many prominent figures, excellent matchups, and elite athletes who are all focused on lifting the trophy on December 18.
Tuesday’s opening match features Croatia and Argentina, followed the following day by a match between Morocco and the underdog France, the defending winners. But before the games start, provide each team a preview with crucial information for making the final, players to watch, and predictions.

Tuesday
Argentina vs. Croatia, 2 p.m. ET, Lusail Stadium
Recently did they meet? Although this is their third World Cup meeting, it is their first elimination match. Croatia defeated Argentina 3-0 in 2018, while Argentina won the first match 1-0 in the group stage in 1998.
Argentina has +155; Croatia has +650 odds to win the World Cup, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Argentina is -150 to win while Croatia is +450 to win the semifinal.

Reasons Croatia will compete in the final
Croatia’s “fighting spirit,” which coach Zlatko Dalic frequently praised during Croatia’s penalty shootout triumph against Brazil in the quarterfinals, will cause the biggest concern for Argentina even though it cannot be measured with statistics or data.
Croatia excels at remaining competitive in games. The midfield trio of Luka Modric, Mateo Koyacic, and Marcelo Brozoyic is tenacious and well-organized when defending and has the technical ability to control long stretches of the game.

Even with Messi, Croatia will be incredibly difficult for Argentina to defeat, and the longer the score stays tied, the more confident they will become. In their last nine knockout games at significant events, eight of the games have gone to extra time. During their run in Qatar, they defeated both Japan and Brazil on penalties. On their journey to the 2018 championship game, they also prevailed in two shootouts, defeating Denmark and Russia.
Croatia will attempt to sabotage Argentina and Messi long enough for fear to set in before attempting to capitalise. Their performance at the last two World Cups suggests that they have a solid strategy. They can absolutely eliminate Argentina if they can eliminate Brazil.

Why Croatia won’t compete in the final
Argentina’s victory over Croatia in the semifinals is clearly due to their superior talent on the field. Due solely to the depth of quality each coach has at their disposal, Argentina and Messi travelled to Qatar with the goal of winning the championship, while Croatia and Modric arrived with the hope of advancing past the group stage.
Croatia scored against Brazil in the 116th minute with their lone attempt on target, and even that strike required a major deflection. Croatia has only scored twice in their other four games, aside from their four goals against Canada in the group stages.

They enjoyed a fantastic run to the final in 2018, but once there, it felt like one game too far to face France. In 65 minutes, four goals were allowed. Given that they had played the equivalent of an additional game in the knockout rounds after playing for 120 minutes in the round of 16, quarterfinal, and semifinal, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
After going through extra time and penalties against Brazil and Japan, there is a chance that Croatia will falter against Argentina, especially since coach Lionel Scaloni has access to a lot of elite players on the bench.

Argentina’s chances of winning the game
Maybe it’s just fate, nothing more or nothing less. Messi has brought Argentina to this point with his skill and charisma, and this is probably certainly his final opportunity to win a World Cup. Although he isn’t the same player he was in his peak, when he had that lightning-quick burst of speed, he has proven that at 35, he is still capable of making the game-changing difference.
His goals against Mexico and Australia gave Argentina decisive victories, while his reverse pass that allowed Nahuel Molina to score against the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinal was one of the tournament’s most memorable plays.                                    To defeat a Croatian team that excels at tournament football, Messi will have to conjure something mystical once more. The 2018 World Cup champions are a difficult, valiant group with Modric having equal influence to Messi. But this time around, Argentina does seem to be headed in a particular direction. up.

The reason Argentina won’t compete in the final
Argentina would only be a weak team without Messi. For a nation that has given the world some outstanding athletes, Messi has a severe lack of top-notch backing. Although they all had successful tournaments in Qatar, Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis MacAllister are not world champions. How one of Argentina’s former star strikers, like Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Batistuta, could be used right now.
Although Argentina’s lack of speed and inventiveness hasn’t been a huge problem thus far, as the tournament moves closer to its conclusion, the finer points count more, and they will need to come up with something extra to defeat Croatia.

The problem for Croatia’s opponents is to stop Modric from controlling the game with his movement of the ball in midfield, but few are able to accomplish it. That is what Lionel Scaloni’s team needs to do. The outcome of this game will depend on Argentina’s ability to stop Modric and how they can pose a threat to Croatia without using Messi.
Luka Modric is one Croatian star to keep an eye on.
Because of his standing and experience, Modric is the obvious pick, but 20-year-old RB Leipzig center-back Josko Gyardiol was one of the greatest young players at the World Cup, and Croatia will need him to be at his best once more.

Dominik Liyakovic, the goalkeeper, was outstanding against Brazil and should have to make at least a few stops against Arentina if there is going to be another shocking outcome.
Josip Juranovic of Celtic is a good outlet for Croatia if they want to harm Argentina. Juranovic’s dashes down the right side gave Brazil issues, and Argentina hasn’t settled on its full-backs.

Emiliano Martinez is one Argentina talent to keep an eye on.
The Argentina goalie has faced some criticism throughout this tournament, but he excelled during the victory over Netherlands in the penalty shootout. Croatia is the only team that consistently wins on penalties, so Argentina might need another remarkable performance from the Aston Villa No. 1.
Martinez’s significance, though, extends beyond his proficiency with penalties. Argentina at least knows they have a keeper they can trust because he is a strong presence and will try to control the penalty area.

Predictions
Argentina 2-1 Croatia (AET): Croatia will win on penalties because Argentina has too much firepower and will be unable to hold on in extra time.
Argentina defeats Croatia on penalties after a score of 0-0: It seems like this game will be a tough struggle for 120 minutes before going to penalties. If that occurs, both teams have recent experience using spot kicks to win.

https://nextepiclife.com/can-history-make…in-the-world-cup/