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Croatia and Canada will lock horns at the Khalifa International Stadium in their upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage match on Sunday.
As has been the case for many teams, the second game of the group stage holds significance for both Croatia and Canada. Croatia, the 2018 finalists, played out a goalless draw against Morocco in their campaign opener and will need at least a point from the game to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Canada had a relatively poor start to their campaign and suffered a 1-0 defeat against Belgium. In their first appearance at the main event since 1986, they failed to open their goalscoring account. Alphonso Davies had a golden opportunity to give them an early lead but Thibaut Courtois saved his penalty.
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It is a do-or-die game for Canada as a defeat here will see them eliminated from the group stage.
Croatia vs Canada Head-to-Head stats
The two teams will be meeting for the first time. Croatia have played in six editions of the FIFA World Cup while Canada are making just their second appearance at the main event.
Croatia have faced opponents from the CONCACAF region three times in the World Cup. They have one win and two defeats in these games. All four of Canada's games in the World Cup have come against European opponents, in which they have suffered defeats.
Croatia form guide: D-W-W-W-W
Canada form guide: L-W-D-L-W
Croatia vs Canada: Numbers you need to know before their FIFA World Cup 2022 encounter
Canada have not scored a goal in any of their World Cup appearances and have lost all four of their games in the competition, which is the longest period in which any team has failed to score in the World Cup.
Croatia saw their run of scoring at least one goal per game in the FIFA World Cup come to an end after 11 games as they played out a goalless draw against Morocco on Wednesday.
Croatia are undefeated in their last six games across all competitions while keeping four clean sheets in that period. They will be hopeful of another solid defensive outing in this match.
Canada, on the other hand, have suffered three defeats in their last six games across all competitions and have kept just one clean sheet in those games. They will need to tap into their attacking prowess in this match to ensure a positive outcome.
They attempted 22 shots (though only three were on target) in their loss against Belgium and will need to produce a similar display here if they are to score their first goal at the FIFA World Cup.
