Croatia and Morocco square off for a bronze medal at the World Cup on Saturday, with the competition’s penultimate game set to take place at the Khalifa International Stadium.
After finishing runners-up in 2018, Croatia have enjoyed another strong campaign, despite being written off due to their ageing squad, but they came up short against Argentina in the semi-finals.
Morocco have defied all odds on route to making history as they became the first African nation to reach the last-four of a World Cup, however, defending champions France ended their bid for glory in Qatar.
Croatia vs Morocco Betting Tips
- Morocco to win @ 21/10
- Youssef En-Nesyri to score anytime and under 1.5 goals @ 30/1 – #PickYourPunt
Team news
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has a couple of injury concerns to contend with following the semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Midfielder Marcelo Brozovic is a major doubt after he departed just 50 minutes into that loss due to major discomfort.
Centre-back Josko Gvardiol required injections to manage a foot injury for the last-four tie and he also looks set to miss out, so Josip Sutalo could come in.
Tottenham wing-back Ivan Perisic is expected to start as he bids to become Croatia’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup.
Nayef Aguerd, Romain Saiss and Noussair Mazraoui are unlikely to feature for Morocco after sustaining injuries at the competition.
The trio were all included in the starting XI against France, but Aguerd dropped out ahead of kick-off, while Saiss lasted just 20 minutes and Mazraoui was withdrawn at half-time.
Morocco to win @ 21/10
Morocco have been the surprise package in Qatar and they had avoided defeat until they went down 2-0 against France on Wednesday, beating Spain and Portugal in the knockout phase.
They started the competition with a goalless draw against Croatia, before earning victories against Belgium and Canada to top the group.
The Atlas Lions’ run was built largely on a strong defensive foundation and that should stand them in good stead against Croatia as they look to win this third-place tie.
The absence of Brozovic and Gvardiol is likely to hurt Croatia and Morocco look good value to edge to a tight victory.
Youssef En-Nesyri to score anytime and under 1.5 goals @ 30/1 – #PickYourPunt
Sevilla frontman Youssef En-Nesyri has been Morocco’s most potent asset at the World Cup and he could prove to be the key once again.
The 25-year-old has bagged twice in Qatar, most notably in the 1-0 quarter-final win over Portugal, and he looks well-placed to add another to his tally in this last outing for the Atlas Lions.
Goals are likely to be at a premium, though, with both Morocco and Croatia struggling to register regularly at the competition.
A goalless draw when the two nations met in their opener was evidence of that and, barring an emphatic win over Canada, Croatia haven’t scored more than one goal in any game.
