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Croatia, the runners-up from the previous edition, will get their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign underway against Morocco on Wednesday at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The two teams have been drawn alongside Belgium and Canada in a tricky Group F. Morocco have qualified for the World Cup for the second time in a row, though their 2018 campaign ended in the group stage.
Croatia are playing in their third consecutive World Cup and, having finished as the runners-up in the previous edition, they are expected to do well in Qatar.
Both teams head into their campaign opener in great form and are undefeated in their last five games across all competitions. Morocco have four wins in that period while Croatia have picked up five wins.
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Morocco defeated Georgia 3-0 in their warm-up game on Thursday, thanks to goals from Youssef En Nesyri, Hakim Ziyech, and Sofiane Boufal. Croatia played a close match against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, with Andrej Kramaric scoring the only goal of the game.
Morocco vs Croatia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams will be meeting for just the second time. This will be the first meeting of these two sides in an official game, as their only previous encounter took place in the Hassan II Trophy, a friendly tournament in 1996.
- The game ended 2-2 in regular time and had to be decided on penalties. Croatia came out on top in the shootout, securing a 7-6 win.
- Morocco failed to secure a win in the 2018 edition, suffering two defeats and playing out a draw in their three group-stage games.
- Croatia played seven games in the 2018 edition and were undefeated in their journey to the final. They won four games and played out a couple of draws before suffering a 4-2 defeat against France.
- Morocco have kept clean sheets in their last four games across all competitions, scoring seven goals in that period. Croatia have three clean sheets to their name in their last five games, scoring eight goals in that period.
- Morocco have failed to win nine of their last 10 matches in the FIFA World Cup.
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Morocco vs Croatia Prediction
The Atlas Lions have a strong squad, with most of their first-team players playing in some of the top European leagues. They have failed to live up to their potential at international tournaments and in the Africa Cup of Nations last year, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. They will be looking to avoid the underachiever tag in this competition.
Kockasti have added a few new faces to their squad since their appearance in the 2018 final. Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric will be the pivot of the team on the pitch and Croatia will be counting on his experience and leadership in this game.
Both teams look in good touch at the moment and, given the nerves of the campaign opener, they might play out a draw here.
Prediction: Morocco 2-2 Croatia
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Morocco vs Croatia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5
Tip 3: Croatia to score first - Yes
Tip 4: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 5: Sofiane Boufal to score or assist anytime - Yes
Tip 6: Luka Modric to score or assist anytime - Yes
