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Sep 23When and where to watch Argentina vs Croatia?
Argentina vs Croatia kicks off at 7pm on Tuesday 13 December.
You can watch all the action from Lusail Stadium on ITV1 via BT TV.
Argentina vs Croatia match preview
Croatia are here again. No one expected it, particularly after their slightly underwhelming passage through the group stages, but Zlatko Dalic and his players appear to have an unwavering confidence in World Cup knockout matches.
Their penalty shootout win over Brazil in the quarter-finals was a fifth victory after extra-time in the last two tournaments.
Argentina, who also overcame Netherlands via penalty shootout after a dramatic last-eight match, will be wary of another 120-minute contest against extra-time specialists Croatia.
The attention will be on Lionel Messi again as he looks to inspire La Albiceleste to a long-awaited third World Cup title.
It's felt like the narrative of the tournament: the possibility of Messi, at the fifth attempt, leading Argentina to glory, two years on from Diego Maradona's death.
But Croatia will not care about romanticism, nor are they likely to be fazed by the thousands of Argentine fans in the stadium.
Dalic's team clearly thrive on their status as underdogs, coolly going about their business against Brazil, the nation many had expected to go all the way in Qatar.
Luka Modric, now 37, is as effervescent and effective as ever in midfield alongside Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic.
That trio have been the key for Croatia, dictating the tempo of games and proving almost impossible to disrupt.
If they can do the same again, another World Cup final may be on the cards. But Messi and his fired up teammates will have different ideas.
Argentina vs Croatia predicted line-ups
Argentina: Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez.
Croatia: Livakovic; Juranovic, Gvardiol, Lovren, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic.
Argentina vs Croatia: Injuries and suspensions
Referee Mateu Lahoz showed a yellow card to nearly everyone in Qatar during the quarter-final between Argentina and Netherlands, so full-backs Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel are suspended for the semi-final.
Lyon's Nicolas Tagliafico will come in at left-back, while Angel Di Maria could return to the starting XI having only been fit enough for the bench in the last game.
Croatia have no new injury concerns, a testament to their fitness levels after back-to-back 120-minutes matches.
Borna Sosa and Mislav Orsic have recovered from illness, so the only potential question mark is in attack, where Andrej Kramaric is expected to continue but could be under some pressure from quarter-final goal scorer Mario Pasalic.
World Cup Form
Argentina: LWWWD
Croatia: DWDDD
Argentina vs Croatia: Form guide
Croatia have made it all the way to the last four having won only one of their five games so far.
But they are extremely difficult to beat and, alongside Morocco, are the only remaining side yet to lose.
The form leading into the semi-finals also suggests Croatia's weakness is in attack, with only six goals in their five matches in Qatar, four of which came against Canada.
And they face an Argentina side with plenty of confidence, despite that shock 1-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia to begin the tournament.
The recovery from Lionel Scaloni's team has been impressive, following up that embarrassment with 2-0 wins against Poland and Mexico, a 2-1 victory over Australia and a more nervy penalty shootout win against Netherlands.
What are they saying?
Croatia midfielder Luka Modric on facing Lionel Messi:
"I want to play another semi-final against a big team, that’s what I want, not just against a player.
"Of course Lionel Messi is very big, he’s their best player, and we’re going to have a lot of difficulty in trying to stop him, but we are prepared, and we are going to give it our all.
"I hope it will be enough to reach the final."
Argentina vs Croatia: Players to watch
Beyond the obvious standout players for both sides - Messi and Modric - there will still be plenty of talent on the pitch.
Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol has been a rock at the back and looks almost certain to earn himself a big-money move to a top European club in the coming months.
He will have a big say on the outcome of the game, as will Argentina's Enzo Fernandez in midfield.
The ability of Croatia's midfield to take control of games will be a concern for Scaloni, so Fernandez will be important for the South Americans as they attempt to dominate possession as much as possible.
