Stats between Argentina and Croatia ahead of the heated clash
Time: 12:30 AM (Wednesday)
Teams: ARGENTINA VS CROATIA
Stadium: Lusail Stadium
Head-to-Head
Total matches between the two sides: 5
Argentina won: 2
Croatia won: 2
Drawn: 1
Read: FIFA World Cup: England vs France - all you need to know
Fixtures between the two teams: In 1994 during a friendly match, both the teams settled for a 0-0 draw while four years later Croatia lost against Argentina 0-1 in a World Cup Group stage encounter. The two teams took on each other in 2006 where Croatia avenged Argentina in a friendly by a marginal differece of 3-2 but lost 1-2 against in a friendly contest in 2014. In 2018, Argentines lost in a lopsided contest to the Croatians 3-0 in a World Cup Group stage match.
Some more fodder for the football enthusiasts: After losing out on tournament's opener to Saudi Arabia 2-1, Argentina has made a remarkable comeback and have won their last four games. They have scored 2 goals in all of those games. While Argentina have come trumps in their last four matches of 5, Croatians have kept it to draw in the regular time.
Trivia: Argentina has never lost a match in the semi-finals.
-- In the last 41 international matches, Argentina was on the losing side just once. They won 28 of those games and drew 12.
-- Croatia too has only lost once in their last 12 World Cup fixtures, winning 5 games as they drew 6. In knock-outs, they won 8 from 10 of the matches they played. Croatia is also a team known for its penchant for taking the match to penalties and extra time. They took the match to extra time in 5 games out of the 6 knock-outs they played in.
-- When Messi takes the pitch tonight for the 25th time at World Cup, it would be a record for the legend which he would be sharing with Lothar Matthaus.
Players to watch out for: Lionel Messi (Argentina), Luka Modric (Croatia)
Preview: Messi, Modric carry Argentina, Croatia into World Cup semis
Doha: Tears are flowing from soccer's biggest superstars as they make emotional exits from what might be their last World Cup. First it was Neymar. Then it was Cristiano Ronaldo. Could Lionel Messi be next? Momentum is building behind Messi's push to cap his career with the biggest prize in the game. The 35-year-old Argentina playmaker has carried his team to the semifinals, almost in the same way Diego Maradona the man with whom Messi is so often compared led the South American nation to its second and most recent World Cup title in 1986.
Now in Argentina's way is Croatia, a country with a population of 4 million which is establishing a reputation as the most stubborn and durable of opponents while also boasting one of soccer's most graceful players in Luka Modric. The teams go head to head at Lusail Stadium also the venue for Sunday's final in a meeting between the last two runners-up at the tournament: Argentina in 2014 and Croatia in 2018.
Argentina might have been expected to be in this position. The team arrived at the World Cup as the Copa America champion, on a 36-match unbeaten run and with Messi back in sublime form for Paris Saint-Germain. There was much less noise around the Croatians, yet they keep on surprising just like four years ago when their run to the final included a 3-0 victory over Argentina in the group stage. They also reached the World Cup semifinals in 1998.
Both teams have come through uncomfortable moments. Argentina's darkest time was right at the start of the tournament, after a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in what will go down as one of the World Cup's biggest upsets. Inspired by Messi and one of the most fervent fan followings in Qatar, Argentina won its final two group games, ended up squeezing past Australia 2-1 in the round of 16 and then required penalties to get past the Netherlands in a wild quarterfinal match.
Messi now has four goals in the tournament in Qatar, leaving him one behind top scorer Kylian Mbapp. They are probably the two standout players at a World Cup that has seen many other top players live up to their lofty reputations. Modric is a case in point.
He might not have scored a goal. He hasn't even had an assist. But don't underestimate the importance to Croatia of the little magician who keeps things ticking in midfield and manages to assert some control for a team which fights until the last minute.
In 2018, each of Croatia's knockout games went into extra time before the team lost to France in the final, and the same thing is happening in Qatar, with victories in penalty shootouts over Japan in the last 16 and Brazil in the quarterfinals. Croatia looked more comfortable against Brazil than against Japan, which shows the team might be happier to invite pressure and choose its moments to break forward rather than control games and be more susceptible to the counterattack.
Containing Messi will be key and much of the responsibility there lies with holding midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who protected Croatia's defense so well against Brazil. Argentina will be without two players because of suspension: left back Marcos Acua and right back Gonzalo Montiel. Acua is the bigger miss, having impressed since coming into the team after the loss to Saudi Arabia, and he is likely to be replaced by Nicols Tagliafico. (Preview taken from AP)
