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Croatia vs Brazil will officially kick off the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Croatia had to go through all the minutes possible and even the penalties in their last match to get to this round. The Checkered Ones saved themselves from the last 16 knockouts when their striker Ivan Perisic equalized Japan’s 1-0 lead in the 55th minute. To progress, Croatia defeated the Samurai Blues in the shoot-out with a score of 3-1.

Brazil on the other hand had it fairly easy whilst edging out their challenger, South Korea for the position in the last eight. The Selecao had almost killed the game in the first half when they netted 4 against the Taegeuk Warriors.

The two teams have met a few or two times in the past and two of them have been in the FIFA World Cup competition. The best record of all the games belongs to Brazil with Croatia yet to beat the five-time world champion.

Croatia vs Brazil Recent Team News And Expected Lineups

Chelsea’s midfielder Mateo Kovacic had to leave the game midway against Japan. He supposedly might be struggling through an injury and may remain doubtful until the final hours of the quarterfinals kickoff. The same is also the case with captain Luka Modric who was subbed off late in the second half against Japan. Stuttgart left-back Borna Sosa didn’t appear at all in the game versus the Asian sides due to illness but the 24-year-old has time to recover until the clash against Brazil. Nevertheless, since Croatia didn’t pick any major injuries in the game against Japan, they likely will have all their best men on the pitch in time for their next opponent.

With respect to Brazil, Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus and Sevilla left-back Alex Telles won’t be available for the rest of the tournament. Except that, there aren’t many injury concerns in the South American squad though Juventus left-back Alex Sandro might remain doubtful throughout the finishing hours to kickoff.

Nonetheless, clearer news from both sides will appear once the match approaches nearer and nearer.

Croatia vs Brazil Predictions

Although Brazil looked like they still need some work throughout the group stage, considering their match against South Korea, the South American giants have come across as they are finally approaching their best form. Brazil is an ominous contender in whatever form they enter the competition like the world cup. On top of that, these sides may be the best the nation has ever had in years. They were just almost perfectly clinical against South Korea. Furthermore, in the very game, Brazil also resembled the Samba Stars of old and at times just impossible to penetrate. They inherently have too much firepower and should be able to get at least one early goal thereby putting pressure on Croatia for the rest of the game.

Brazil may have difficulty against Croatia in terms of individual experience and the European’s determination to force their way into the deepest stages of competitions. It’s worth noting although the Croats didn’t appear the most convincing, they reached the 2018 finale despite not winning any of their three knockout games in the regular 90 minutes. Nevertheless, the fact that they limped into every knockout couldn’t be enough for the just-clicked Brazilian sides. The prophecy that this is the South American tournament might just be becoming truer and truer.

Projected Scoreline: Brazil 2-0 Croatia

Croatia vs Brazil Recent Odds

Source: sporting news

Croatia vs Brazil Previous Meetings

Only a few times have Brazil and Croatia faced each other in a competitive fixture. Two meetings happened at the FIFA World Cup first in 2006 and another in 2014. Both group-stage clashes saw Brazil being the victors. In the first, the Selecao won the game with a score of 1-0 while in the second victory followed with a numeric conclusion of 3-1. Besides these, they have also met in two friendlies; one of which Brazil won while the other ended in a tie.

Croatia vs Brazil Previous Stats Of Each Team