FIFA World Cup 2022 Quarterfinal: Brazil vs Croatia, Head to Head

Three key player battles to watch out for in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal between Brazil and Croatia. Brazil and Croatia will kickstart the Qatar World Cup quarterfinals on December 9 at the Education City Stadium.

Croatia, the 2018 runner-up, comes into this match hoping to erase its no-win record against the South American giant. For that, the Luka Modric-led side would need to brush aside the strains of its draining penalty shootout win over Japan in the round of 16.

Brazil, on the other hand, strides in after an electrifying attacking display against South Korea.

Brazil’s Neymar grabs his ankle after an injury during the World Cup group G soccer match between Brazil and Serbia, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022.

When Neymar suffered an ankle injury in the first game, Brazil fans would have feared the worst. In 2014, Neymar’s injury eventually snowballed into a calamitous 1-7 defeat to Germany.

But, fortunately for Brazil, Neymar bounced back from the setback and played a key role in his side’s 4-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16.

The man tasked with reigning in Neymar for the quarterfinal will be the Croatian workhorse Marcelo Brozovic.

In a Croatian generation blessed with some incredible midfielders, Brozovic is the least talked about. It is mostly down to his lack of flair compared to compatriots Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, and Mateo Kovacic.

But what he lacks in skills, he makes up for with his steel. Against Japan, he covered 16.7kms, breaking his own record of 16.3 km set against England in 2018.

If Brozovic fails to rein in the skillful Neymar, the Croatians will have an uphill battle against the endless pool of Brazilian attack.

Croatia and Brazil will kick off the quarter finals mania of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Education City Stadium. In the last round, Croatia beat Japan on penalties, but their quarterfinal match against Brazil will be a true test of their abilities. Brazil completely bamboozled South Korea and has announced that they are going to kill this time around.

The most important thing for Brazil is that Neymar is fit and their attack is looking like one of the best in the tournament. Though they are ahead of Croatia in confidence and on paper, Croatia knows how to live under the underdog’s tag and defeat the giants.

Predicted Lineup

Croatia predicted lineup (3-4-3)
Livakovic, Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric, Kramaric, Petkovic, Perisic

Brazil predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)
Alisson, Militao, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Danilo, Casemiro, Paqueta, Raphinha, Neymar, Vinicius Jr, Richarlison

Kick off: 8:30pm (IST), 15:00 (GMT)
Croatia form (all comps): L-D-W-D-W

Brazil form (all comps): W-W-W-L-W