When is the World Cup third-place play-off? Date, kick-off time, TV channel and who Croatia could play

And now, the end is near, and so we face the World Cup third-place play-off.

After Lionel Messi reminded us he’s quite good at football and guided Argentina to a 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia, we now know that Zlatko Dalic’s side are the first team in Qatar 2022’s bronze-medal clash.

Croatia finished second at the 2018 World Cup after losing the final to France. They will hope to grab their second consecutive top-three finish at a World Cup, having also finished third in 1998.

So when is the third-place play-off of Qatar 2022 and who will be in it?

When is the third-place play-off?

As it has at every World Cup since 1966, the third-place play-off will take place the day before the final. It kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 17 December at the Khalifa International Stadium and will be on BBC One in the UK.

It can often vary how seriously teams take the third-place play-off at a World Cup and many view it as a meaningless game. Sides competing in it have already been knocked out of the tournament and some do not believe that playing for a bronze medal is worthwhile.

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For example, having already been humiliated 7-1 by Germany and knocked out of their home World Cup, in 2014 Brazil played a second-string side and were defeated 3-0 by the Netherlands.

But this is unlikely to be the case for Croatia, who are not burdened by the arrogance of bigger footballing nations. In an interview after the Argentina defeat, Dalic said, “all we have to do is pull ourselves together, hold our heads up, and fight for third place”.

Who will Croatia face?

The second semi-final is between France and Morocco, at 7pm tonight in the Al Bayt Stadium. The winner of that tie will go on to face Argentina in the World Cup final, while the loser will face Croatia in the third-place play-off.

Since their 2018 campaign, Croatia have become renowned for their endurance and ability to take games to extra-time and penalties, so do not expect this tie to be over in 90 minutes, whoever they face.

If France lose, then the third-placed tie would be a repeat of the 2018 final, which Didier Deschamps’ side won 4-2. This would be a tough challenge for Croatia, but also a chance for them to get revenge for that final defeat.

Led by the tournament’s current joint-top scorer in Kylian Mbappe, France are the more likely of the two to rotate for this tie, as they did in their 1-0 group stage loss to Tunisia.

If Morocco lose on Wednesday, then Croatia will face the first African side ever to play in a World Cup semi-final. Walid Regragui’s side have conceded just once so far in the competition and have kept eight clean sheets in nine matches since he took over.

Morocco and Croatia would both treat this tie with utmost seriousness and competitiveness, as two sides more known for their defensive capabilities than attacking flair would look to make history.

from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/wKvUTEq