Argentina-Croatia official line-up, the vice-champions are the last obstacle between Messi and the final: prediction of goalscorers, cautions and marksmen
Both are dreaming of getting back into it next Sunday at the Lusail Stadium, scene of the Qatar 2022 final. Will it be the turn of Leo Messi’s Argentina or Luka Modric’s Croatia to play the last act? A month ago we would have had no doubt. But the gap has definitely narrowed in light of what we have seen in the last three weeks.
The selection coached by Lionel Scaloni actually got off to the worst possible start, losing resoundingly to Saudi Arabia in the opener. It was an unexpected and humiliating defeat, but nonetheless a healthy one: the changes made during the World Cup allowed the Albiceleste to return to the semi-finals – the sixth in its history – dragged along by one of the best versions of Messi. Argentina, having overcome the hurdles of Mexico, Poland and Australia, came back from a battle of nerves with the Netherlands, in which they won only on penalties.
Croatia, on the other hand, seemed unable to repeat their 2018 exploit, when they contested the cup against France in the Moscow final. Instead, they are now in danger of playing another final, a feat achieved by few national teams. Having started quietly, Dalic’s side grew match by match to take the scalp of Brazil, beaten on penalties last Friday, thanks to the prowess of a stunning Livakovic. Perfect parity in the previous matches: two victories on each side and one draw. Here are the choices of the two coaches.
- ARGENTINA (4-4-2): Emiliano Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Tagliafico; De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Paredes, Mac Allister; Messi, Julian Alvarez. CT: Lionel Scaloni
- CROATIA (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic. CT: Zlatko Dalic
Argentina v Croatia official line-up, goalscorer prediction
Scaloni has opted for an unusual 4-4-2 this time round in an attempt to disorient Croatia: no dice for Di Maria, who is still not at his best – the Juventus player will start from the bench – and in comes another midfielder, in this case the other Juventus man Paredes. Therefore, the experiment of the three-man defence seen with the Netherlands has been dismissed. Needless to say, Messi’s numbers and science-fiction plays are a real nightmare for the attentive Croatian defence, but among the possible goalscorers for the Albiceleste is City striker Julian Alvarez, who has not been out of the starting line-up since the third game of the round. Perisic, on the other hand, is an ever-present name for Croatia: the former Inter Milan player will be one of the most dangerous for the Argentine defence.
Argentina-Croatia official line-ups, probable cautions and marksmen
At the other end, Croatian coach Dalic is re-proposing the same formation that played against Brazil. Confirmed then is Pasalic, who completes the trident with Kramaric and Perisic and can put the South American rearguard in serious difficulty. We also expect at least one shot on goal from Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez, one of the best midfielders of the World Cup. The tension, then, will be cut to shreds, especially if Argentina put in the same garrada seen against Holland. And it promises to be a complicated evening for referee Orsato, who is anything but sparing when it comes to cards. Finally, according to a Croatian newspaper, one of the techniques that Messi and his teammates will use will be to provoke the opponents: will it be true or is it just an illusion? Tagliafico, Paredes and Otamendi in Argentina risk yellow, Brozovic and Perisic in Croatia.
