| Belgium vs Croatia |
|---|
| SCHEDULE | TIME |
|---|---|
| GAME | Belgium vs Croatia |
| DATE | 01/12/2022 |
| TIME | 08:30 PM (Indian Standard Time) |
| ARENA | --- |
| LEAGUE | FIFA World Cup 2022 |
| FULL TIME |
|---|
| Belgium [0-0] Croatia |
Match Preview of Belgium vs Croatia
Group F favourites Belgium face the prospect of elimination at the first hurdle of the 2022 World Cup when they take on Croatia at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
The Red Devils currently sit in third place, one point behind the Checkered Ones and Morocco in the top two heading into their final group fixture.
After playing out a goalless draw with Morocco in their opening Group F fixture, Croatia responded with an impressive 4-1 victory over Canada on Sunday, boosting their last-16 hopes while eliminating the Maple Leafs in the process.
The Checkered Ones were initially made to work for the three points, with Alphonso Davies heading Canada in front after just 67 seconds, but Andrej Kramaric and Marko Livaja both netted towards the end of the first half to turn the game on its head.
Kramaric then tucked away his second of the match 20 minutes from time before Lovro Majer came off the bench to wrap up the three points in added time and put Croatia in control of Group F.
Indeed, Zlatko Dalic's side now sit at the summit of their group with four points, narrowly above Morocco in second on goals scored, and the 2018 World Cup runners-up require just a draw against Belgium to book their place in the knockout rounds. A victory, meanwhile, would guarantee top spot if Morocco fail to beat Canada by a greater goal margin than the Checkered Ones.
Croatia, ranked 12th in the world by FIFA, boast a strong run of form heading into Thursday's contest, as they are unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, while they have also lost only one of their last 18 internationals since Euro 2020.
The Balkan nation have not beaten Belgium since securing a 1-0 friendly victory in 2010, but spirits are high within the Croatian camp and Dalic and co will feel they have a strong chance of capitalising on the poor form that Thursday's counterparts are struggling to shake off.
Four years on from finishing third at the World Cup in Russia – their best-ever result at a major tournament – Belgium's golden generation are now staring down the barrel of a possible early exit at the group stage in Qatar.
In their opening Group F fixture, the Red Devils were fortunate to come away with maximum points in a slender 1-0 win against a courageous Canada outfit, but their luck ran out against Morocco as they were beaten 2-0 on Sunday courtesy of two late strikes from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal.
Our Predicted Lineups
Belgium possible starting lineup:Ochoa; Sanchez, Moreno, Montes, Gallardo; Herrera, Guardado, Chavez; Lozano, Jimenez, Vega
Croatia possible starting lineup: starting lineup:Courtois; Castagne, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Carrasco; De Bruyne, E. Hazard; Batshuayi
Who will win the match?
We say: Croatia 2-1 Belgium. While Croatia require only a draw to qualify for the last 16, the pressure is on Belgium to turn up on Thursday and claim maximum points if they wish to escape Group F and avoid a disappointing early exit. Belgium have individual stars who on their day can make the difference when it matters, but Dalic's cohesive Croatian side have looked stronger after the first two group fixtures and we can see the 2018 finalists coming out on top to end the group stage at the summit.