The biggest event in the football world is slowly coming to an end. We’re approaching the tournament’s final stages with great excitement. This series presents the latest statistics, forecasts and analysis of the FIFA World Cup Finals in Qatar 2022. This time we take on board the first World Cup Semi-Final 2022 encounter that will take place on Tuesday, 13th December, Matchday 20 of the tournament: Argentina vs Croatia. Let’s explore and analyse the forthcoming game and help you choose the best World Cup betting strategies to give you a good run for your money. Who is value to make it to the final? Let’s find out.

 

Matchday 20 FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals 2022 

Match 61: Argentina vs Croatia

Tuesday, 13.12.2022, 7 pm (GMT)

  VS  

 

Argentina to win       Draw (90’) Croatia to win

3/4 (prob. 57%)   23/10 (prob. 30 %)         9/4 (prob. 30,8%)

PLEASE NOTE: The average odds comparison, source – oddschecker.com. The odds are valid on the day of the article’s publication and may be subject to change before the start of the game.

 

As the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar battles to lift the Golden Trophy come closer into sight, Argentina (3rd in the FIFA World Ranking) meets Semi-Final opponent Croatia (14th in the FIFA World Ranking) at  Lusail Iconic Stadium on Tuesday, 13th December.

 

Argentina entered the World Cup as the second-favourites to win the championship, behind the football giants Brazil only. The tournament seemed destined to throw these two South American opposing sides against each other in this coming Semi-Final, but Croatia overshadowed the party by downing Brazil on penalties in their Quarter-Final meeting. The World Cup 2018 runners-up aim to reach their second-straight World Cup Final encounter after falling just short in the Grand Finale against France (2:4) four years ago.

 

Now, Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and his teammates will try to do the same to Lionel Messi (PSG) and Argentina. ‘La Albiceleste’ joined the Semis after a penalty shootout win over the Netherlands in Quarter-Finals despite conceding a late goal that nearly doomed their World Cup hopes.

 

Argentina vs Croatia Semi-Final is going to be a cagey affair. Another World Cup knock-out game, another period of extra time and penalties? We all can’t wait for World Cup Matchday 20 to come and reveal its outcome.

 

Argentina’s possible starting lineup:  E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez

Croatia’s possible starting lineup: Livakovic; Juranovic, Gvardiol, Lovren, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic

 

Argentina vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2022 betting odds

 

Despite Croatia’s tactical masterpiece against Brazil in the Quarter-Final Round, Argentina are still considered as heavy favourites in this Semi-Final match.

 

Croatia have ridden their luck on the shoulders of their in-form goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic  (Dinamo Zagreb) to get this far. They conceded only two goals in both knock-out games against Japan (1:1) and Brazil (1:1) and found a way to come through both ties on penalties.

 

That has been the story of Croatia’s recent success in major tournaments over the past years, and don’t forget, they made it all the way to the final in the World Cup 2018.

 

That tells us everything we need to know about the physical and mental strength of this experienced team. It wouldn’t surprise us if Croatia did the same thing yet again in this clash, which will be one of the fine margins.

 

The bookmakers don’t see it that way, though. They make Argentina the 3/4 (prob. 57%) favourites to advance and Croatia a 9/4 (prob. 30,8%) shot.

 

That clearly means that, yet again, Croatia represent value in the ‘To Qualify‘ market, and should be backed to end Argentina’s World Cup dream.

 

 

PLEASE NOTE: The average odds comparison, source – oddschecker.com. The odds are valid on the day of the article’s publication and may be subject to change before the start of the game.

 

Argentina – latest FIFA World Cup 2022 betting odds:

 

1). Argentina to win the FIFA World Cup: 15/8 (prob. 34%)

2). Argentina to reach the final: 3/4 (prob. 57%)

3). Emiliano Martinez to win World Cup Golden Glove: 11/4 (prob.  27%)

4). Lionel Messi to win World Cup Golden Ball: 15/8 (prob. 34%)

5). Lionel Messi to win World Cup Golden Boot: 7/2 (prob. 22%)

6). Lionel Messi to score first: 3/1 (prob. 25%)

7). Lionel Messi to score anytime: 13/10 (prob. 45%)

 

(Lionel Messi has scored 4 goals so far).

 

PLEASE NOTE: The average odds comparison, source – oddschecker.com. The odds are valid on the day of the article’s publication and may be subject to change before the start of the game.

 

Croatia – latest FIFA World Cup 2022 betting odds:

 

1). Croatia to win the FIFA World Cup: 6/1 (prob. 14%)

2). Croatia to reach the final: 9/4 (prob. 30,8%)

3). Dominik Livakovic to win World Cup Golden Glove: 16/1 (prob. 5,9%)

4). Luka Modric to win World Cup Golden Ball: 20/1 (prob. 4,8%)

5). Andrej Kramaric to win World Cup Golden Boot: 75/1 (prob. 1,3%)

6). Andrej Kramaric to score first: 10/1 (prob. 9%)

7). Andrej Kramaric to score anytime: 9/2 (prob. 23%)

 

Andrej Kramaric has scored 2 goals so far.

 

PLEASE NOTE: The average odds comparison, source – oddschecker.com. The odds are valid on the day of the article’s publication and may be subject to change before the start of the game.

 

Argentina vs Croatia – facts to know and remember

 

Argentina’s biggest question now is whether midfielder Angel Di Maria (Juventus) will be fit and ready for this encounter. He looked to recover from a muscle injury sustained at the end of the 1/8 Round match against Australia. The 34-year-old winger was only used as a late substitution against the Netherlands in the Quarter Final. Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid) had been an injury worry before that game, but he was fit to play and is ready to perform against Croatia.

 

Croatia have no injury worries heading into this match. Everyone seems to be in top form and eager to at least repeat their 2018 World Cup result. The only question here is whether the ageing squad recovers from the exhausting games they played against Japan in the Round of 16 and Brazil in the Quarters when both ended in extra time and penalties.

 

An IMPORTANT fact here is that 2 out of 17 yellow card bookings in the Argentina vs Netherlands Quarter-Final encounter went to ‘La Albiceleste’. Their two full-backs, Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla) and Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), are now suspended for the Semi-Final !!!

 

None of the Croatia players has the problem.

 

Yellow cards collected up to this point will be wiped after the Semi-Final match. Therefore none of the players can be suspended for the World Cup Final due to yellow card accumulation. Only players booked with a red card in the Semi-Final will be suspended for the World Cup final game.

 

Argentina Group C games – results

 

FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Group C 2022 Final Standings

Pos.	Country	Played	W	D	L     GF    GA	GD	Pts
1.	Argentina (Q)	3	2	0	1       5       2	+3	6
2.	Poland (Q)	3	1	1	1       2       2	0	4
3.	Mexico	3	1	1	1       2        3	-1	4
4.	Saudi Arabia	3	1	0	2       3        5	-2	3

 

Argentina – Saudi Arabia 1:2

Argentina – Mexico   2:0

Argentina – Poland 2:0

 

Argentina’s Road to the FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals 2022 

 

1/8 Argentina (C1) – Australia (D2) 2:1

1/4 Argentina (C1) – Netherlands (A1) 2:2 (4:3 on penalties)

1/2 Argentina (C1) – Croatia (F2) ???

 

Croatia Group F games – results

 

FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Group F 2022 Final Standings

Pos.	Country	Played	W	D	L     GF    GA	GD	Pts
1.	Morocco (Q)	3	2	1	0       4       1	+3	7
2.	Croatia (Q)	3	1	2	0       4       1	+3	5
3.	Belgium	3	1	1	1       1       2	-1	4
4.	Canada	3	0	0	3       2       7	-5	0

 

Croatia – Morocco 0:0

Croatia – Canada 4:1

Croatia – Belgium 0:0

 

Croatia’s Road to the World Cup Semi-Finals 2022 

 

1/8 Croatia (F2) – Japan (E1) 1:1 (3:1 on penalties)

1/4 Croatia (F2) – Brazil (G1) 1:1 (4:2 on penalties)

1/2 Croatia (F2) – Argentina (C1) ???

 

Summary

 

Both teams have met each other on five previous occasions, two of which being World Cup meetings with mixed results. ‘La Albiceleste’ defeated Croatia 1-0 in the group stages in 1998. The two sides met in the group campaign again in 2018, with the Croatians winning 3-0.

 

Croatia have reached extra-time in 5 of their last 6 World Cup knock-out encounters, failing to do so only in the 4-2 defeat to France in the 2018 final.

 

Luka Modric’s side remarkably reached the Grand Finale in 2018 without winning any of their knock-out games in regular time, and history is on the verge of repeating itself for them.

 

Let’s not forget, too, that the ‘Checkerd Ones’ have now been unbeaten in 11 matches ahead of their showdown against Argentina and would be in an elite company if they progress to the showpiece event. Only Germany, the Netherlands and Italy have ever reached two finals in a row.

 

Croatia can also take confidence in the fact that they have never failed to score in their last 10 World Cup knock-out fixtures.

 

Watching Croatia’s tactical masterpiece against Brazil in Quarter-Final, it’s hard to see why they can’t repeat the same performance against a similar opponent, Argentina.

 

The South American side does not look inspired in the final third, and as they’ll miss a few key defensive players due to yellow card suspensions, Luka Modric and company could do business once again with a pragmatic performance on Tuesday night in Qatar.

 

 

We are sure you have your own opinions about the winners and losers of each game of the FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals 2022 in Qatar. Although the odds aren’t always accurate, you can find the most updated ones on the Betfinal website: www.betfinal.com

 

So, if you plan on betting on any result of the forthcoming FIFA World Cup Semi-Final games: Argentina vs Croatia and Morocco vs France, don’t forget to look at those at www.betfinal.com

 

World Cup Finals Qatar – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

1). When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2022?

 

Qatar host the FIFA World Cup 2022 this winter, the first to be organised by an Arab country and the second held entirely in Asia. It is the 22nd edition of the tournament, which began way back in 1930.

 

The event started on Sunday, November 20, with a match between Qatar and Ecuador.

 

The Final (and 64th match) will kick-off in Lusail on Qatar National Day,  Sunday, December 18, 2022.

 

• November 20: Opening match of 2022 World Cup (Qatar v Ecuador)
• December 2: Group phase concludes
• December 3-6: Round of 16
• December 9-10: Quarterfinals
• December 13-14: Semifinals
• December 17: Third Place Match
• December 18: Final

 

2). Who is in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Finals?

 

A total of 32 teams compete in the FIFA World Cup. 31 of them must qualify for the tournament, with Qatar qualifying automatically as a host. There are 13 nations from Europe, 4 from South America, 4 from Asia, 5 from Africa, 4 from North America, and Australia, which is a member of the Asian confederation.

 

• Host: Qatar

• Europe: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Wales.
• The rest of the world: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Ecuador, USA, Canada, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, Costa Rica and Australia.

3). Why is the World Cup in November?

This year’s World Cup has been scheduled for November and December, unlike in the usual June and July window. This has been done to combat the fierce Qatari summer heat, which is often more than 40°C during the period. The average temperature in November is 24°C and 21°C in December.

 

4). Are tickets for the World Cup 2022 available?

Tickets are available through the official FIFA website, with more than 800,000 tournament tickets sold during the first and second phases. The online Last Minute Sales on a “first come, first served”  basis is currently open and will run until the end of the FIFA World Cup on 18 December.

5). How much does a final World Cup ticket cost?

Four categories of tickets are made available to supporters wanting to attend the World Cup in Qatar.

• Category 1 – is the highest priced, located in prime areas within the stadium.
• Category 2 and Category 3 – are seating areas within the stadium offering a less-premium view of the action.
• Category 4 – is a seating area within the stadium reserved exclusively for residents of Qatar.

All tickets are sold in Qatari riyal to both residents of Qatar and international fans, with prices ranging from 40 riyals ($11) to 5,850 riyals ($1,607).

 

Football online betting has never been more accessible, exciting and fun with Betfinal. We offer our players the best and most accurate FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar betting odds to help you choose your best betting World Cup strategies possible.

 

So, get ready for the upcoming Argentina vs Croatia and Morocco vs France games and stay tuned for the best FIFA World Cup Finals betting tips at the Betfinal blog when the time rolls around.

 

Have fun and bet wisely with the best World Cup Matchday 20 – Argentina vs Croatia betting odds at your favourite betting site, www.betfinal.com

 

Published: December 2022

By: Rafa