Argentina vs Croatia Prediction on December 13, 2022

Match info

The 2022 FIFA World Cup for men’s football in Qatar semi-finals will kick off on Tuesday, December 13, with a match between Argentina and Croatia. The face-off will begin at the Lusail Iconic Stadium at 10 p.m. local and Moscow time. Here are some extremely early betting predictions for this game, for which bookmakers giving deposit bonuses have already released their odds.

Meeting statistics

As Argentina and Croatia square off in the 2022 World Cup semi-final, both teams are aware that a berth in the championship game is on the line. One of these teams was meant to be here, while the other one wasn’t.

The current form of Argentina

Only their CONMEBOL rivals Brazil were favored to win the World Cup ahead of Argentina upon entering the competition. The two South American rivals were seemingly destined to face off in this semi-final, but Croatia ruined the fiesta by defeating Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals. After narrowly losing to France four years ago, the 2018 finalists are seeking to advance to their second consecutive title match. In what may be his final FIFA World Cup, Messi is once more bearing the weight of his country in the pursuit of a peak that neither he nor his main competitor Cristiano Ronaldo has succeeded in achieving. The major concern for Argentina going into this game will be Ángel Di María’s health. The winger, 34, was only used as a last-second substitute against the Netherlands as he attempted to recover from a muscle injury sustained at the conclusion of the Round of 16 match against Australia. Prior to the Netherlands game, Rodrigo de Paul’s health was a concern, but he was able to play.

The current form of Croatia

Now, Luka Modrić & Co. will look to repeat the feat against Brazil and defeat Lionel Messi and Argentina, who narrowly lost their World Cup aspirations in a late capitulation against the Netherlands in their quarter-final but prevailed in a penalty shootout.

There are no notable injury concerns for Croatia going into this game. After suffering a facial injury during gym practice, Mateo Kovačić caused concern prior to the quarter-final game, but he was healthy enough to play. Despite suffering a muscular injury during the group stage, Nikola Vlašić is now healthy, and Marcelo Brozović, who had a hamstring problem prior to the tournament, is now an important member of Croatia’s midfield.

Key stats:

● Do-it-all Kovačić, a midfielder for Chelsea, is the only player in the 2022 World Cup with at least 10 tackles won and at least 5 chances generated.
● In the 2022 World Cup, Messi has generated 16 opportunities, which is second only to Antoine Griezmann’s 17 opportunities. Nobody in Croatia has more than 5, and no one else in the entire tournament field has more than 11.
● Only Kylian Mbappé’s 7 goal contributions throughout this World Cup surpass goals scored by Messi, who has 6. Messi has accrued 5.03 anticipated goals + expected assists despite being down by one, compared to Mbappé’s 4.01.

Match analytics

Argentina is still thought to be an overwhelming favorite in this semi-final contest, despite Croatia’s tactical masterclass against Brazil in the previous round. However, the fact that the under has been heavily swung in its favor and the no option on both teams’ scoring has also been given a significant edge suggests that sports bookies anticipate a shortage of goals in this game. This is true despite the fact that these two sides combined for six goals in their quarter-final matches and had no shutouts.

Best bet: Argentina to Score First Goal and Win – Yes with odds of 1.90 at Helabet.

Results of the forecast

Successful forecast. Argentina vs Croatia 3:0