Henry Roldán
The Qatar 2022 World Cup enters its final stretch with the semifinal phase and one of those stellar matches is Argentina vs Croatia.
Both teams reach this stage having won on penalties in the quarterfinals. In the case of the Croatians, they eliminated Brazil, while the Argentines defeated the Netherlands.
Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the best preview of this decisive match between Argentina vs Croatia.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Argentina vs Croatia World Cup Qatar 2022 Semifinals Match on December 13, 2022
- Where: Lusail Iconic Stadium – Lusail, Qatar.
- When: Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 2:00 PM E.T.
- PointsBet Moneyline: Argentina (-125) / Tie (+600) / Croatia (+425).
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (+160) / Under (-210).
- Both teams score: Yes (+140) / No (-170).
- Pointsbetting (exclusive at PointsBet, for terms and conditions, click here): [Por definir]
Odds provided exclusively by PointsBet.
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Betting on Argentina
Argentina and Lionel Messi’s dream is still alive after a dramatic and agonizing victory over the Netherlands. In a replay of the Brazil 2014 semifinal, the Dutch and Argentines met in an extremely physical and heated duel in many parts of the match.
For almost 80 minutes Argentina clearly dominated the match and in the 35th minute they struck first with a goal by Nahuel Molina on a pass from Messi. In the 73rd minute, Lionel Messi scored the 0-2 from the penalty spot.
But when the game seemed to be under control, Wout Weghorst hit the net to score for the Europeans and in 90+11′, in the last minute of the ten-minute extension given by the referee, Weghorst scored again to equalize the match.
It seemed that Argentina was going down, but in the second extra time they were on the verge of winning the game, and it was not until penalties, with a great job by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, that Lionel Scaloni’s team managed to eliminate the Dutch once again.
Croatia, a very organized and dangerous team that has already shown what it is capable of by not being afraid of Tite’s powerful Brazil, now awaits them.
Probable lineup (3-5-2): Emiliano Martínez, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Tagliafico, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Nahuel Molina, Leo Messi, Julián Álvarez.
Croatia Preview
For the second consecutive World Cup, Croatia reaches the semifinals after losing the final against France in Russia 2018. Zlatko Dalić’s side pulled off a major upset by eliminating ultra-favorites Brazil, who began celebrating in the 105+1′ minute of extra time when Neymar’s goal put them on top.
However, the Croatians, more eager than physical, equalized with a goal by Bruno Petkovic in the 117th minute to send the match to penalties – a stage already familiar to the Europeans in this World Cup as they defeated Japan in the Round of 16.
Without many goals to their tally, Croatia have a lot to thank their goalkeeper Dominik Lovakovic, who was once again the hero with 10 saves in the 120 minutes and then another during the penalty shootout, one in addition to the three he made in the shootout against Japan.
With two overtimes under their belts, Croatia will now face another favorite team, Argentina, another South American team on the road to another appearance in the final.
Probable lineup (4-1-2-3): Dominik Livakovic, Borna Sosa, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Juranovic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic, Mario Pasalic.
JefeBet Prediction
With the final in sight and many players already tired, there is no doubt that this match will be a true battle of individual talent and will to win the tournament.
Croatia knows how to play to prolong matches and define them on penalties, where they have been incredible. Argentina also has a good goalkeeper, but offensively they are a little better than the Croatians.
Prediction: Argentina to win (CRO 0 – ARG 1).
