2022 FIFA World Cup: Where to watch Croatia vs Morocco live on December 17

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, FIFA World Cup, Croatia, Morocco

The two nations will lock horns at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday with the bronze medal on offer.

All too soon, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is coming to its end and both Croatia and Morocco will be poised to conclude on a high note when they clash in the tournament's penultimate game. A series of top performances placed the two nations on the brink of history but failure to defeat Argentina and France respectively denied the pair the opportunity to contest for the trophy.

Familiarity, as the saying goes, breeds contempt and, on Sunday, there will be no niceties between the two teams ahead of their second meeting at this tournament. Both Croatia and Morocco have successfully flown the flag of Group F very high after defying the odds to facilitate the elimination of group favorite Belgium.

Unlike a few weeks ago where the game ended in a 0-0 draw, one team will emerge victorious with a bronze medal at stake at this point. But both sides will be hoping for their respective goalkeepers to replicate the shot-stopping masterclass they delivered at the Al Bayt Stadium the first time. In the same vein, the attackers will be primed to get on the scoresheet to prevent the drama of penalty shootouts.

For Croatia, a win should hand Luka Modric a befitting send-off following a remarkable career of leading the Checkered Square's 'golden generation'. On the contrary, Morocco will fancy their chances of becoming the first-ever African nation to finish third at the World Cup after raising the bar for the continent with a semi-final appearance. All in all, it will be a case of winner-takes-all at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, and only the brave and daring will be remembered by history.

Croatia vs Morocco head-to-head and key stats

Croatia and Morocco will be meeting for the second time ever at this World Cup. The two teams played out a 0-0 draw on Matchday 1, with Croatia being restricted to five shots, their fewest ever in a World Cup match.
In the previous 19 World Cup third-place play-off matches, none of the matches went to penalties, and just one was decided after extra time (France v Belgium in 1986). In each of the last 10 World Cups since Brazil defeated Italy in 1978, a country from Europe has placed third.
This is Croatia's second third place play-off match in the World Cup, previously defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the 1998 edition.
Croatia conceded as many goals in their 3-0 semi-final defeat by Argentina as they had in their previous five games at the 2022 World Cup combined.
Morocco conceded more goals in their 2-0 semi-final loss to France than they had in their previous five matches at this World Cup combined (one). They could still become the eighth team to keep as many as five clean sheets in a single tournament, after Netherlands (1974), Italy (1990), Brazil (1994), France (1998), Germany (2002), Italy (2006) and Spain (2010).

Croatia vs Morocco team news

Midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who was substituted after Argentina's semifinal victory, might not be available for Croatia on Saturday. Josko Gvardiol, a centre back who has excelled throughout the competition, is dealing with a foot issue but could still participate.

For Morocco, Romain Saiss will not be able to play, according to Regragui. The skipper of the Atlas Lions aggravated an injury he picked up earlier in the course of the campaign by featuring in the semi-final defeat to Argentina.