Croatia – Ghana

Physically strong and disciplined Ghana will not lose to the match's favorite.

Croatia's national team arrived at yet another World Cup after finishing second at the 2018 World Cup and third at the 2022 World Cup. Many football fans expected that the Balkan side would not live up to the raised standard at the last World Cup. However, the quality of its players is hard to argue with. In goal is the same Dominik Livakovic, who is known to the public mainly for his performances at the World Cup, in midfield, the evergreen Luka Modric, and on the wings are Marko Pasalic and Ivan Perisic, who, at 37, hold a solid position in Zlatko Dalic's squad. In such a well-established group of players, the Croats could not withstand England in the opening group-stage match. A quickly earned and converted penalty by Harry Kane broke Croatia's game plans and forced them to attack a lot, giving the 'Three Lions' a lot of space. In the second match the Croats toiled with Panama's players. Such teams have already proven to everyone at the tournament that beating them by a one-goal margin is not the worst result. Thus, Dalic's team after two matches took third place in the group table with three points and a negative goal difference. For now, the Croats remain in a safe position to advance to the knockout phase, among teams occupying or having occupied third place in their groups. However a defeat by Ghana could worsen their position. Indeed, a draw would not let Croatia rise to one of the top two spots, but would guarantee advancement from third. A win, of course, would bring Modric and his teammates at least to second place. Ghana's tasks in the final group match are the opposite of Croatia's. A win over Panama and a draw with England would allow the African side to be in control. That is what poses the greatest threat to Croatia. The Ghanaians can comfortably play as the 'second option', and against England they did it brilliantly. Throughout the match, Kane and his teammates managed to create at most two or three real opportunities for a goal. The physically strong, disciplined and fast Ghanaian players, it seems, are in no way inferior to a Croatia that appears somewhat behind in readiness. Let's bet that the African team won't lose.