By early Saturday morning (December 10) we will know if a blockbuster Brazil vs Argentina semi-final will happen or not at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The first quarter-final of the day today will see five time champions Brazil take on the runners-up of the 2018 edition – Croatia. The second match of the day (technically early morning Saturday IST) will see Argentina playing The Netherlands.
As Brazil and Croatia get ready to lock horns, TimesofIndia,com here takes a look at their overall Head to Head record, key statistics and much more. Brazil have never lost to Croatia at the World Cup.
What: FIFA World Cup 2022 First Quarter-Final
Teams: Brazil and Croatia
FIFA Rankings – Brazil – 1; Croatia – 12
Where: Education City Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Kick-Off Time: 8:30 PM IST, Friday, December 9
Head To Head (Overall):
Matches Played: 4
Won by Brazil: 3
Won by Croatia: 1
Head To Head (In FIFA WC):
Matches Played: 2
Won by Brazil: 2
Won by Croatia: 0
Most recent encounter: International Friendly in June 2018 – Brazil won 2-0
Scorelines of all 4 matches between Brazil and Croatia till now:
August 2005 – International Friendly – Brazil 1-1 Croatia
June 2006 – FIFA World Cup – Brazil 1-0 Croatia
June 2014 – FIFA World Cup – Brazil 3-1 Croatia
June 2018 – International Friendly Brazil 2-0 Croatia
Predicted Starting XIs:
Brazil (4-2-2-1):
Alisson Becker (GK); Eder Militao (defender); Thiago Silva (defender); Marquinho (defender); Danilo (defender); Lucas Paqueta (midfielder); Casemiro (midfielder); Raphinha (forward); Neymar (forward); Vinicius Jr. (forward); Richarlison (forward)
Croatia (4-3-3):
Dominik Livakovic (GK); Josip Juranovic (defender); Josko Gvardiol (defender); Dejan Lovren (defender); Borna Sosa (defender); Luka Modric (attacking midfielder); Mateo Kovacic (midfielder); Marcelo Brozovic (midfielder); Andrej Kramaric (forward); Ivan Perisic (forward); Bruno Petkovic (forward)
Road to Quarter-Finals:
Brazil:
League Stage:
– Beat Serbia 2-0
– Beat Switzerland 1-0
– Lost to Cameroon 0-1
Round of 16:
– Beat South Korea 4-1
Croatia:
League Stage:
– Drew with Morocco 0-0
– Beat Canada 4-1
– Drew with Belgium 0-0
Round of 16:
– Beat Japan 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw
Best Finish:
Brazil:
Champions: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Croatia:
Runners-Up: 2018