Croatia vs Brazil
The greatest show on Earth is reaching its climax as we’re down to the last eight, and after some breathtaking action and stunning results, we have two days to take stock.
But these two days without World Cup 2022 will be over in the blink of an eye and the box office is open again for the first quarter-final, which is the quarter-finals tiff between Croatia and Brazil.
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has the tallest order of any last eight coaches when he leads his team out to face the best team on the planet at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan on Friday. The pre-match World Cup 2022 betting odds are backing a win for the Samba Boys and I’m totally on board with that.
The Selecao have played some of the most exciting football coming into the last eight, destroying South Korea 4-1 while Croatia rather limped into the quarter-finals with a series of draws and a penalty shootout win over Japan.
Since he took over in 2016, Tite has moulded Brazil into an attacking team with a world-class defence and that is a combination which should see then go all the way. But it’s 11 vs 11 and Croatia will start at 0-0 and the underdogs will put up a fight.
Talking Points
Neymar return makes Brazil even more formidable
The Selecao’s first half destruction of South Korea was a treat for SBOTOP football fans, if not for the Koreans. And the return of talisman Neymar was a sight for the Samba fans to savour as he scored an early penalty, but it wasn’t good news for Brazil’s rivals.
This is a squad so blessed with talent that the Selecao can switch all of the front four and still have an awesome attack.
Richarlison – with three goals – is just about in the hunt for the Golden Boot, currently led by France star Kylian Mbappe on five, while the livewire Vinicius Junior had made two assists. And Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli has showed some exciting glimpses of the scintillating play Arsenal fans are becoming accustomed.
But Neymar has that extra bit of star quality and, given the depth around him, few teams can afford to double mark the PSG man.
Dalic points out the difference
The Croatia head coach has said that Brazil are scary and few will disagree with him. The Selecao’s attacking six can play with freedom in the knowledge that they are backed up by a defence marshalled by the legendary Thiago Silva and the best goalkeeper in world football in Alisson.
“Brazil has 200,000 people and we have only four million,” says the Croatia boss, “so we’re a bit like a suburb of a city in Brazil.”
He’s done pretty well with his suburb, though, as Dalic led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final. And for such a small country, he has some pretty special players.
But many of them are creeping towards the twilights of their career. Talisman Luka Modric is still a match-winner, but at 37 years of age, he could do with some youthful legs around him.
Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic at 28 and 30 are in the prime of their careers while the 33-year-old Tottenham winger Ivan Perisic has two assists and he scored the leveller against Japan, and 31-year-old Andrej Kramaric is leading the line with two goals.
These are all top quality players. But on average, that’s almost a decade older than Brazil’s stars and that won’t make things easy.
Croatia slapped Canada 4-1 but have been uninspiring in their other World Cup 2022 results, with goalless draws against Morocco and Belgium and a 1-1 with Japan before beating the Blue Samurai on penalties.
History
Brazil are seeking a record sixth World title and the first in 20 years. But no matter whatever happens at the Education City Stadium, Croatia have guaranteed their third best performance at the World Cup after finishing third in 1998 and runners up in 2018.
The Samba Boys have had much the better of the head-to-heads with three wins and a draw from the four previous encounters, the most recent meeting being a 2-0 friendly victory for Tite’s men in 2018.
Recent form is comparable though, as Croatia have won four and drawn two of the last six, while Brazil have won five and lost one. But the manner of performances in the run up to this game should be telling.
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