| Croatia vs Canada |
|---|
| SCHEDULE | TIME |
|---|---|
| GAME | Croatia vs Canada |
| DATE | 28/11/2022 |
| TIME | 09:30 PM (Indian Standard Time) |
| ARENA | Khalifa International Stadium |
| LEAGUE | FIFA World Cup 2022 |
| FULL TIME |
|---|
| Cratia [4-1] Canada |
Match Preview of Croatia vs Canada
Croatia and Canada will both go in search of their first win and first goals in World Cup 2022 Group F during Sunday's battle at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The Chequered Ones were held to a goalless draw by Morocco in their opening fixture, while the Canucks succumbed to the Red Devils of Belgium in a 1-0 loss.
Despite an eye-catching Nations League campaign which propelled them to a spot in the four-team finals, not many had Croatia down as contenders to match or even better their runners-up finish at the 2018 World Cup, and their feelings were justified on the opening day.
Croatia were arguably fortunate to come away from their showdown with Morocco with a point to their name, having just five shots in the entire game and relying on the staunch defensive work of Dejan Lovren at the other end of the field to preserve their clean sheet.
Zlatko Dalic has admitted that his side "lacked courage" in their opening stalemate with the African nation, but that point is good enough to see them occupy second place in the Group F standings after one game, edging out third-placed Morocco on fair play points for the time being.
Shaking hands on a point with Morocco did at least stretch the Chequered Ones' unbeaten streak in all tournaments to seven matches, while they have only suffered one defeat in their last 17 since Euro 2020, highlighting their stellar defensive acumen that has seen them concede just twice in their last 540 minutes of football.
However, Croatia have previous when it comes to back-to-back games without scoring at the World Cup - failing to fire in either of their opening group games at the 2006 tournament - and Belgium were forced to use route one tactics to break down upcoming opponents Canada.
The chance to step up and become a World Cup hero for his nation passed Alphonso Davies by on matchday one, as the Bayern Munich man saw a 10th-minute penalty kept out by Thibaut Courtois before Canada launched wave after wave of pressure on Roberto Martinez's side.
Belgium held firm, though, and a long ball over the top for Michy Batshuayi to chase ended with the Fenerbahce attacker finding the back of the net on the stroke of half time, and the valiant efforts of John Herdman's men ultimately counted for nought.
Nevertheless, the Canucks could take plenty of encouragement from their performance against the golden generation of Belgium, although that result already leaves them bottom of the standings in Group F, and their hopes of a last-16 berth will be dashed if results do not go their way this week.
Our Predicted Lineups
Croatia possible starting lineup:Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Kramaric, Livaja, Perisic
Canada possible starting lineup: starting lineup:Borjan; Laryea, Johnston, Vitoria, Miller, Davies; Buchanan, Hutchinson, Eustaquio, Larin; David
Who will win the match?
We say: Argentina 2-1 Mexico. The last time Argentina were beaten in their first World Cup match was back in 1990, when Maradona ultimately went on to lead his side to the final. Faced by both the expectation of a football-mad nation and a transitional Mexico team, this Messi-led Albiceleste can now earn a vital first victory of the 2022 edition - but it will not prove a straightforward procedure.