Croatia vs Argentina

Our favorite World Cup best bets and player props for the first World Cup semifinal, where Croatia take on Argentina.

I like these odds for an emboldened Argentina to find the net at least twice in Lusail. [+225 at bet365](https://www.covers.com/betting/sportsbookredirect?sportsbookId=1&location=editorial)) The Croatians have logged the full 240 minutes in navigating the knockout rounds so far, and some fatigue is to be expected. [+110 at bet365](https://www.covers.com/betting/sportsbookredirect?sportsbookId=1&location=editorial)) On Friday, it was fullbacks Nahuel Molina and Marcos Acuña making the difference, while Messi has four goals to his name in Qatar. After all, Modric has hurt the Albiceleste at the World Cup before, scoring a screamer in a 3-0 group-stage win in 2018. Angel Di Maria should be fit enough for a bigger role here and Julian Alvarez is often the beneficiary of all the attention that Messi attracts. have found their shooting boots over the past four games while looking every inch a World Cup contender. At 37, you’d expect some kind of drop-off in his performances with consecutive knockout games going into extra time, but he’s been tireless in keeping his team ticking along. [+290 at FanDuel](https://www.covers.com/betting/sportsbookredirect?sportsbookId=19&location=editorial)) [Sign Up Now](https://www.covers.com/betting/sportsbookredirect?sportsbookId=18&location=editorial) [Sign Up Now](https://www.covers.com/betting/sportsbookredirect?sportsbookId=19&location=editorial)

Argentina and Croatia meet in the first semifinal of the 2022 World Cup on Dec. 13. Here's what you need to know about the match.

In the penalty shootout, Modrić helped Croatia through with a nerveless penalty. These two nations met in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, with Croatia claiming a convincing 3-0 win. The Croatia captain and Real Madrid midfielder, 37, continues to play with the energy of a player ten years younger. Argentina, which won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, was last this deep in the competition in 2014. The country, which became independent in 1991, also reached the semifinal at its first World Cup as an independent nation, in 1998. Croatia beat England in the semifinal at World Cup 2018 before losing 4-2 in the final against France.

Both Argentina and Croatia have scraped and clawed their way to the World Cup semifinals, and now either Lionel Messi or Luka Modric will be moving on to ...

Referee Daniele Orsato has not officiated a match since the group stage, but in his two matches, he dished out 11 total yellow cards and whistled for one penalty. However, they've also lost only one half, the first half against Japan. Cards are expected to flow in this match. Any: 10/3 Any: 7/2 Two players one might want to stay away from, at least on the first goalscorer market, are Lautaro Martinez and Paulo Dybala, who have been little more than a bench option for head coach Lionel Scaloni. Lionel Messi, understandably, is the player considered most likely to score, but a number of other Argentina players are given a good chance to feast off Messi's creative talents. Yellow cards accumulated to this point are wiped in the semifinal, so no players can be suspended for the World Cup final because of accumulation. Croatia have no injury worries to speak of heading into this match. The 34-year-old winger was utilized only as a late punt at the death against the Netherlands as he looked to recover from a muscle issue suffered at the end of the Round of 16 game against Australia. This despite the two teams' quarterfinal games featuring a combined six goals and no clean sheets. Meanwhile, Modric, 37, remains a world-class player and carrying tiny Croatia to back-to-back World Cup finals would be considered one of the greatest international achievements ever.

After a thrilling quarterfinal round, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is getting closer to crowning its new champion. With the semifinals just around the corner, ...

The problem is that this time the Croatians will have Messi in front of them. The bold prediction is that Argentina will advance to the final with a 2-1 win in overtime. The bold prediction is that he will play his best game in the tournament on Tuesday. Still, the Croatians will face an Argentina team with Messi playing some of the best international soccer of his life. That will place him in the goalscoring lead of the tournament alongside Kylian Mbappé. The only game the Europeans did not play beyond the 90 minutes was in the final when they lost 4-2 to France. He has already matched his four-goal showing in 2014 when Argentina reached the final and lost to Germany. Luckily for the Argentinians, he is doing everything he can to make this dream come true in Qatar. That includes in the round of 16 against Japan, despite Modrić being Croatia’s main penalty taker. Due to his performances both for the national team and Real Madrid, Modrić won both The Best FIFA Men’s Player award and the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first player in almost a decade to win the coveted award during the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era. While Argentina might seem the favorite in this game, Croatia should not be taken for granted. With two goals in extra time, the Vatreni and Brazil tied 1-1.

The World Cup semifinals are here. Here's how to watch the Argentina vs. Croatia World Cup game.

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