Croatia vs Brazil: Both sides hope to overcome respective hoodoos in must-win game

Topics: TV Listings, TV Schedules, Croatia, Brazil, 2022 FIFA World Cup

Brazil will hope to take one step closer towards winning their sixth World Cup title - but first will need to deal with a very determined Croatia side.

In what is set to be a rematch of 2014, when Brazil, who were then hosts, took on Croatia during the group stages, the two sides are set to renew acquaintances when the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals gets underway this Friday. Brazil come into this match having cruised to a very comfortable 4-1 with over South Korea, and had the five-time World Cup winners not been wasteful in front of goal and squandered several opportunities, Tite's side certainly could have scored more against an opponent who was outplayed and outclassed from the very beginning of that match.

The win was exactly the tonic Brazil fans needed after seeing their side suffer a surprising 1-0 loss to Cameroon in their final group stage match. It marked the first time the South American titans had lost to African opposition, and while they had already qualified, it was not exactly the result many supporters wanted to see ahead of the group stages. However, Neymar's return proved quite timely, as the PSG star's inclusion in the starting XI helped Brazil come to life, and just at the right time.

After disappointment in recent World Cups, including their devastating 7-1 defeat to Germany during the 2014 semi-finals, and an early exit in 2018, Brazil are hopeful that this year will finally be their year. 20 years after winning their fifth World Cup, the South American giants only have three more matches to go in order to get their hands on the coveted prize, but first, they will need to find a way past a Croatia side who have been determined to prove that their shock run to the 2018 finals was not just by chance.

Indeed, despite several of their key players now retired, with a couple of them, including striker Mario Mandzukic and defender Vedran Corluka serving as assistants to Zlatko Dalic, the Vatreni still believe that they have what it takes to continue to go toe to toe with some of the biggest sides in the world. They come into this contest having shown their experience and fortitude following a penalty shoot-out to defeat Japan during the round of 16, and during the group stages, finished as runners-up following two draws with Morocco and Belgium and a resounding 4-1 over Canada.

The penalty shoot-out was quite reminiscent of Croatia's campaign four years ago, as they needed to go through two of them to book their spot in the semi-finals. Certainly, having had to play 120 minutes of football, fatigue will be a concern, and Dalic will naturally hope that his side will be able to see this match decided in regulation time.

Of concern, however, is Croatia's track record against South American sides - to date, they have lost four of their last five meetings at World Cups, with the only exception being a 3-0 win over Argentina four years ago. That being said, Brazil don't have the best record against European teams in the knockout rounds. Their last win at this juncture was back in 2002, when they defeated Germany 2-0 in the final. Since then, they have lost all four of their knockout round games against teams from Europe, including a surprise defeat to Belgium during the quarter-finals four years ago.

That being said, Brazil might take respite in the fact that they have yet to lose to Croatia; in four prior meetings, they have recorded three wins and a draw. Still, as we have seen so far at this World Cup, records and stats are not the best indicators of actual results, and in 90 minutes, or possibly more, we will know who will become the first semi-finalist to book their spot in the final four at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Team news: Croatia vs Brazil

*All info as of December 7, 2022

Croatia: Josip Stanisic and Borna Sosa were not involved in their team's win over Japan due to a muscular issue and illness respectively, Sosa is expected to return. Meanwhile, Borna Barisic is out due to an injury of his own.

Brazil: Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles are both out for the rest of the competition after suffering knee injuries, while Alex Sandro is a big doubt due to a hip issue.

Match facts: Croatia vs Brazil

Brazil are hoping to feature in the World Cup semi-finals for the ninth time; only Germany, with 12, have appeared more times at that stage
Croatia have lost four of their last five meetings with South American sides at World Cups (W1)
Extra time seems to be a thing for Croatia - seven of their last knockout meetings dating back to EURO 2008 have not been settled in 90 minutes
Ivan Perisic is now the first player to score ten goals for Croatia at major championships (6 at World Cups, 4 at EURO competitions)