Argentina and Croatia clash in the World Cup semifinals and all eyes are on Lionel Messi as he aims to go one step closer to achieving his one outstanding wish: winning the World Cup.
STREAM LIVE ARGENTINA v CROATIA
La Albiceleste have done things the hard way throughout this World Cup tournament but they find themselves in the final four and are the heavy favorites against a stubborn Croatia side. Lionel Scaloni has seen his side improve as the tournament unfolded and there is a better balance about this Argentina midfield and defense. Plus, they have Messi.
As for Croatia, once again they’ve shocked us all. Luka Modric is pulling the strings and rolling back the years in midfield as Croatia has remarkably reached the semifinal stage in three of their six World Cup appearances. Zlatko Dalic has a team full of veterans and as they proved in their quarterfinal win against Brazil, the runners up in 2018 can hang in there, frustrate and then pounce when they get the opportunity to do so.
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Here is everything you need for Argentina vs Croatia.
How to watch Argentina vs Croatia live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 2pm ET – Tuesday, December 13
Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Obviously everyone will be watching Lionel Messi closely as his ridiculous assist against the Netherlands showcased his otherworldly talents. Others have been standing tall for Argentina too, especially Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul and Alexis Mac Allister in midfield. At the back the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi have had strong tournaments, while Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel will miss this game through suspension.
Croatia have the talented, and experienced, trio of Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic holding down midfield, while youngster Josko Gvardiol has been sensational at center back and so has Borna Sosa at left back. The star in their penalty kick wins against Japan and Brazil has been goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and Croatia will need more heroics from him if they’re going to upset Argentina.
Argentina quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 3
World Cup titles: 2 (1978, 1986)
World Cup appearances: 17
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONMEBOL (2nd place)
Coach: Lionel Scaloni
Key players: Lionel Messi, Angel de Maria, Lautaro Martinez
At 2022 World Cup – Beat Netherlands 4-3 on penalty kicks in quarterfinals after 2-2 draw
Croatia quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 12
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
Best-ever World Cup finish – Runners up in 2018
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Zlatko Dalic
Key players: Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, Mateo Kovacic
At 2022 World Cup – Beat Brazil 4-2 on penalty kicks in quarterfinals after 1-1 draw
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