Croatia and Morocco clash in the third-place match at the World Cup with both teams disappointed but the underdogs had incredible tournaments.
Croatia are going for their second consecutive third-place finish, while Morocco already made history by making the semi-finals.
They then had a hard-fought 1-0 win over Portugal to become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. The last-16 clash saw Morocco celebrate a historic World Cup win over Spain. The Atlas Lions finished top of Group F after beating Belgium and Canada and earning a goalless draw with Croatia. In the Round of 16, They conceded early on from a wonderful Theo Hernandez close range effort, but the North Africans rallied and threatened for much of the game, before Randal Kolo Muani doubled France's lead deep into the second half. Neymar tied Pele's record for most goals for the national team, giving Brazil the lead in extra time.
The World Cup third place match is mostly useless, little more than an exhibition for two teams already officially "eliminated" from the competition.
The Sporting News will update this section when those have been published. Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has had a quiet tournament playing in Morocco's defensive system, but is thought to have around a 3/1 chance of finding the back of the net. Any: 5/2 Any: 2/1 Any: 7/2 For Morocco, there are a host of injury issues for head coach Walid Regragui to work around. Look for critical locker room presence Domagoj Vida to get his first minutes of this tournament along the defensive line in what is likely his final World Cup match. However, those with aches and pains could prioritise their club careers first, meaning Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic may not be locks to start. Croatia are the slight favourite in this third place match, but Morocco are thought very likely to give their European foes a challenge. For 37-year-old superstar Luka Modric, who is considered one of the greatest midfielders to ever live, it is almost surely a final dance in the sport's biggest environment. Important players such as Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Marcelo Brozovic, and Andrej Kramaric are all over 30 years old and could be playing in their final World Cup. It will behoove the Morocco squad to put on one more positive performance to see their fans out with a boom.
Croatia will face Morocco this weekend in the 2022 World Cup third-place play-off after both teams were beaten in the semi-finals.Vatreni lost 3-0 to.
- None of the 19 previous third place play-off matches at the World Cup have gone to penalties, with only one being settled in extra time (France v Belgium in 1986). Croatia were restricted to five shots, their fewest ever in a World Cup match. - Morocco conceded more goals in their 2-0 semi-final defeat to France than they had in their previous five matches at this World Cup combined (1). - 37-year-old Luka Modric has played in all six of Croatia’s games at this World Cup. They’ve also faced more shots than any other side at this tournament (75). Of course, he will decide about it himself. It will be difficult for me if Modric says goodbye. - Croatia conceded as many goals in their 3-0 semi-final defeat against Argentina as they had in their previous five games at the 2022 World Cup combined. talkSPORT is bringing you wall-to-wall coverage of the 2022 World Cup. He said: “I hope he stays in the national team. talkSPORT World Cup 2022 Coverage Croatia will face Morocco this weekend in the 2022 World Cup third-place play-off after both teams were beaten in the semi-finals.
Everything you need to know ahead of the third-place play-off at the 2022 World Cup between Croatia and Morocco.
[Japan](https://theathletic.com/football/team/japan/) in the last-16 but managed to get the job done on penalties. [Lionel Messi](https://theathletic.com/football/player/lionel-messi-HlEFpLdbHt68CnvJ/) brought [Josko Gvardiol](https://theathletic.com/football/player/josko-gvardiol-Q36YxjElleCmJU6X/) crashing back down to earth just for good measure in the second half as the South Americans won 3-0. [Croatia](https://theathletic.com/football/team/croatia/) and [Morocco](https://theathletic.com/football/team/morocco/) must get over their semi-final defeats as they prepare for the [World Cup](https://theathletic.com/football/world-cup/) third-place play-off on Saturday, December 17. [Noussair Mazraoui](https://theathletic.com/football/player/noussair-mazraoui-N0O0yBol0O5V2Af2/) was then replaced at half-time. Morocco to win: 34%. Croatia to win: 37%. [West Ham](https://theathletic.com/football/team/west-ham-united/)’s Aguerd in the group game against [Canada](https://theathletic.com/football/team/canada/). [Sofyan Amrabat](https://theathletic.com/football/player/sofyan-amrabat-Y9GWMzy7vV9I3LcC/) and [Azzedine Ounahi](https://theathletic.com/football/player/azzedine-ounahi-VheOAm7M9LnOvN1t/) have the frontrunners in a team of heroes for the continent of Africa. [Spain](https://theathletic.com/football/team/spain/) and [Portugal](https://theathletic.com/football/team/portugal/) without conceding a goal. Luckily, it does not appear anything serious and his manager admitted the decision was made with further involvement in mind. [Argentina](https://theathletic.com/football/team/argentina/) and [France](https://theathletic.com/football/team/france/) were the two teams who advanced to the final. [Belgium](https://theathletic.com/football/team/belgium/).
Croatia vs Morocco is the penultimate game of World Cup 2022 - here are our tips and picks for the third-place play-off.
A Crystal Palace fan, he is a long-time subscriber to the belief that it's the taking part that counts. He is the former editor of The Set Pieces, and has contributed to the Guardian, FourFourTwo, and ESPN. Croatia struggled to break Morocco down on that occasion and we could be in for a repeat this weekend. Croatia like to play at a slower tempo, so if Morocco can break with the speed they should get plenty of joy. In the end, Croatia fell short in their bid to reach a second World Cup final on the bounce. Morocco will now be desperate to end their campaign on a high by winning the third-place play-off. The main question mark against the Atlas Lions concerns the defense, where three of their first-choice starters - Romain Saiss, Nayef Aguerd, and Noussair Mazraoui - look set to miss out through injury. Despite making a decent start against Argentina in their semi-final clash, Croatia fell behind to a Lionel Messi penalty and conceded a second goal soon after. Morocco have made history this winter, becoming the first national team from Africa to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. Not everyone is a fan of the third-place play-off. The second is if it will be Croatia or Morocco that takes the bronze medal 24 hours earlier. The first, of course, is whether Argentina or France will be crowned world champions on Sunday.
Dec 15 (Reuters) - Croatia play Morocco in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday. When: Saturday, Dec. 17, 1800 local (1500 GMT/1000 ET).
The match ended in a 2-2 draw before Croatia won 7-6 on penalties. * Morocco became the first Arab and African country to reach the World Cup semi-finals before losing 2-0 to France. Croatia and Morocco have met only twice before, including in this tournament's group stage.
Croatia and Morocco clash in the third-place match at the World Cup with both teams disappointed but the underdogs had incredible tournaments.
16:00 Arsenal v Wolves 16:00 Aston Villa v Brighton 16:00 Brentford v Man City 16:00 Chelsea v Newcastle 16:00 Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest 16:00 Everton v AFC Bournemouth 16:00 Leeds v Spurs 16:00 Leicester v West Ham 16:00 Man Utd v Fulham 16:00 Southampton v Liverpool Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest Brentford v Newcastle Fulham v West Ham Leeds v Crystal Palace Leicester v AFC Bournemouth Liverpool v Arsenal Man Utd v Everton Southampton v Man City Spurs v Brighton Wolves v Chelsea AFC Bournemouth v Fulham Arsenal v Leeds Brighton v Brentford Chelsea v Aston Villa Crystal Palace v Leicester Everton v Spurs Man City v Liverpool Newcastle v Man Utd Nottingham Forest v Wolves West Ham v Southampton Arsenal v Crystal Palace Aston Villa v AFC Bournemouth Brentford v Leicester Brighton v Man Utd Chelsea v Everton Liverpool v Fulham Man City v West Ham Nottingham Forest v Newcastle Southampton v Spurs Wolves v Leeds AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool Crystal Palace v Man City Everton v Brentford Fulham v Arsenal Leeds v Brighton Leicester v Chelsea Man Utd v Southampton Newcastle v Wolves Spurs v Nottingham Forest West Ham v Aston Villa Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth Aston Villa v Crystal Palace Brentford v Fulham Brighton v West Ham Chelsea v Leeds Liverpool v Man Utd Man City v Newcastle Nottingham Forest v Everton Southampton v Leicester Wolves v Spurs Below is the full schedule, as you can watch all 380 games across our NBC platforms. The midfield quartet of Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Leandro Paredes have been sensational for Argentina, while defensively they are flexible to switch between a back four and five. Like Argentina, they prefer to sit back and hit teams on the counter and of course that means finding Mbappe as often as possible. Some countries may distribute the money based on appearances, or others may split it evenly. Germany, Denmark, and Belgium all crashed out in the group stage. After just a few months in the job, Walid Regragui made history as his Morocco side became the first team from Africa to reach the World Cup semifinals and they pushed France all the way but it wasn’t to be as defensive injuries caught up with them.
Croatia and Morocco must quickly get over semifinal disappointment as they look to secure third place in the 2022 World Cup.
Bounou (GK) — 2. Livakovic (GK) — 22. 14 20 (4-3-3, right to left): 1. With all our squad fit we could have caused them a lot of problems."
Preview of Croatia's meeting with Morocco in the World Cup third-place playoff, including team news, lineups and prediction.
0-0 DRAW – Croatia and Morocco have failed to score in more games than any other side at the 2022 World Cup (3 each), with the two sides playing out a goalless draw on MD1. Croatia may have the edge over Morocco's depleted ranks but they will be pushed for that spot on the podium. Yet, it's an even bigger game for Morocco, who already made history by reaching the semi-final but could add a bronze hue to their entry in the record books. Both nations will end the World Cup against the foe which kicked off their tournament. [here](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MxBJzNaal2blHdqTX00y8) to download or listen to the episode in full! Nayef Aguerd pulled out just before kick-off with a thigh problem and Noussair Mazraoui couldn't make it to the second half after nursing an illness and a hip issue. After losing to France, Walid Regragui lamented: "We had too many players at 60% or 70%." Surely Romain Saiss' powers of recovering have been expended. Morocco showed plenty of fight but struggled to convert their pressure into chances, let alone goals against France. [BeGambleAware.org](https://www.begambleaware.org/) [Inter](https://www.90min.com/teams/inter) midfielder for much of the [Serie A](https://www.90min.com/leagues/serie-a) campaign. [Croatia predicted lineup vs Morocco](https://www.90min.com/posts/croatia-predicted-lineup-vs-morocco-world-cup-third-place-play-off-17-12-22)
Jump straight to the three betting picks. Third place match in the World Cup! Sometimes, if not frequently, a match that outshines the final in terms of ...
So, with that in mind, I like the looks of total team corners in regulation going with the over. On the other side, I’ve been waiting for another Perisic goal and for Modric to throw caution to wind and throw out shots left and right – and that’s gonna happen. The 2022 World Cup carries on, after some fascinating games. You have to expect Croatia to come out flying and attack like they haven’t done so far this tournament (except when they needed a last minute goal). A fascinating World Cup for goal-scoring and shocking sometimes in terms of what TEAM scored the goals, it’s been risky business. However, when you see a team play offense with such joy and have such talents as Ziyech and Hakimi – the suspicion is they’ll go for broke. A tournament of firsts for Morocco, but also Morocco as a representative of Africa – first African team in semifinals and logically first in 3rd place game. Certainly, a third place game on the one hand is overachieving, but on the other hand, they did make it to the final in 2018 – and the way they were surprisingly outclassed against Argentina must leave a bitter taste in their mouth. That should result in a goal and open the game up. You have to hope that both teams abandon their defense-first approach and go for glory. Led by Ziyech and Hakimi, this is a GOOD team that should continue to be good for years to come. Third place match in the World Cup!
How to watch Croatia's third-place play-off clash with Morocco on TV and live streaming platforms in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.
- Vidgo (US) - fuboTV (US) - Telemundo (US)
After almost a month of soccer, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is coming to an end. While most eyes are on the big final between Argentina and France, ...
While this game might not sound as attractive as France versus Argentina, this is both Croatia and Morocco’s last chance of showing they deserved a spot in the final too. On the other side of the matchup, Morocco is having one of the greatest Cinderella stories in tournament history. Assuming he starts, this will almost certainly be the final Croatia World Cup appearance for Modric, who will go down as the nation’s all-time greatest player. World Cup streams can be found on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports app, and Peacock (Spanish). After almost a month of soccer, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is coming to an end. While both teams certainly wanted more, this matchup will give them a chance to leave Qatar with a bronze medal.
World Cup prediction, odds, and betting tips for Croatia vs Morocco on December 17. World Cup free pick and game analysis.
That is key, especially with Morocco having a number of players with knocks and minor injuries. The manner of their semifinal defeats will have an impact, too. It’s also worth noting that in four of those five games, it’s been the more established, widely acclaimed team that has won. In those five games, we’ve seen 19 goals, with all but one seeing Over 2.5 goals. How will those defeats in the week impact their build-up to this game? Will both teams be over their World Cup disappointment?
Aside from the obvious disappointment of missing out on Sunday's showpiece final, Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic's side have largely been free of injury ...
Croatia midfielders Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic and goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic take. JACK GUEZAFP. Despite the Moroccan fairytale taking a ...
I expect that Walid Regragui will revert to his tried and tested 4-1-4-1 for the game in an attempt to nullify Croatia’s midfield. Croatia come into the game finally tired, perhaps for the first time since 2018, and with Marcelo Brozovic a major doubt. It all sounds quite depressing, talking about two teams that have come off the back of elimination from football’s most highly-regarded tournament, but what these two nations have done is simply extraordinary: Croatia and Morocco’s populations combined would perhaps only just reach that of Argentina’s and still be almost half that of France’s.
World Cup 2022 third-place play-off: Predicting how Croatia vs Morocco will play out.
Unfortunately for fans of the ultimate underdogs, Morocco might just have used up all of their magic at this tournament. Croatia fell short of a stunning, second straight run to the World Cup final this week, while ultimate underdogs Morocco also ran out of magic in the semi-finals. The same can be said of centre back Josep Gvardiol, who was not at full health for that fixture and may be rested here to avoid further injury.
Croatia face surprise package Morocco as they look to finish their respective campaigns on a high despite missing out on the World Cup final.
"I think the world as a whole is proud of this Moroccan team because we show great desire. Morocco coach Walid Regragui said of his own team: "We realise that we made a great achievement already. All we have to do is pull ourselves together, hold our heads up, and fight for third place. Will Morocco be able to secure another upset victory? You can also follow along via the Eurosport app. This will be the third meeting between Croatia and Morocco, and only weeks after their earlier meeting in the World Cup group stages that finished 0-0.