Best Odds: 4/11
Bookmaker:
With a spot in the final of this winter s World Cup up for grabs on Tuesday night, Argentina will meet Croatia at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Argentina
Starting with Argentina, while the South American icons might have opened their World Cup adventure on November 23rd with that infamous 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia, Lionel Scaloni s men have come roaring back in some style. Eventually avoiding what would have been a real World Cup collapse over the weekend as they edged their way past Holland thanks to a nervy penalty shootout, La Albiceleste have their sights set on making real history in Qatar this month. Watching bitter rivals Brazil shockingly crash out of this year s tournament at the hands of Croatia a few days ago, Argentina are tipped by many as the leading contender come December 18th. Suffering just a single defeat from any of their last 40 straight contests across all formats, Scaloni s side also have one attacking talisman who is enjoying a real World Cup purple patch. It should be noted, PSG superstar Lionel Messi has already notched four strikes in the Middle East over the past few weeks
Team News
Picking up a pair of costly bookings against Holland over the weekend, Argentina will be without the defensive duo of Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna on Tuesday night.
Notching a pair of World Cup strikes this winter and continuing to impress in Qatar, Manchester City s Julian Alvarez should once again partner Messi in attack here.
Croatia
As for Croatia, after shocking many as they reached the final out in Russia four years ago, the Blazers have enjoyed another World Cup romp in Qatar. Mounting a stunning last-gasp comeback against South American heavyweights Brazil over the weekend as they claimed yet another penalties victory, Zlatko Dalic s men will find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Yet to taste a single World Cup defeat since arriving in the Middle East last month, the European contender have certainly come roaring back from their brief 2021 blip. Now in the midst of an 11-match unbeaten run across all formats, Croatia will also be boosted by their most recent showdown against Tuesday s opponents. In fact, when Dalic s high-flying squad faced off against Argentina during the group stage in Russia four years ago, it should be noted that the Blazers claimed a thrilling 3-0 victory.
Team News
Both returning for Croatia s iconic penalties victory against Brazil over the weekend, both Borna Sosa and Mislav Orsic should retain their spots on Tuesday night.
While Bruno Petkovic might have come off the bench to grab that stunning equalizer against the Selecao, it is expected that Dalic will go with the same starting XI here.
Key Factors to Consider
