World Cup 2022 Quarterfinals: Croatia and Brazil - When continental football artists meet

The clash between Brazil and Croatia is considered a showcase of South American and European football stars. Of course, the players from the land of Samba are highly appreciated.

At the 2022 World Cup, coach Tite has just done an "unprecedented" thing by using all 26 players he brought to Qatar. Too confident in his strength, he sent Dani Alves (39 years old), goalkeeper Weverton (34 years old) into the match against Senegal. The initiative to send the number 3 goalkeeper to compete in the biggest football festival on the planet, held only once every 4 years, shows the superior strength of the number 1 candidate for the championship.World Cup 2022.

Who will score for Selecao?

As we have analyzed, Neymar's unexpected injury in the group stage put the Brazilian team in a "blessing in the face" situation. They have the conditions to let young players compete to gain experience and show how dangerous they are in the attacking midfield position of the 4-2-3-1 formation. This has made no one believe that Croatia will be able to stop Neymar's Samba dance. Especially when the advantages of coach level, players, power and competitive mentality are leaning towards Brazil. The problem is which squad will coach Tite put on the field and who will score?

Number 10 Neymar will still be the most anticipated name in this match. Photo: CBS

Mr. Tite brought to Qatar a squad with an average age of only 28.6 years old, it has been a long time since fans who love beautiful football have witnessed a youthful, explosive and truly "dancing" Selecao on the field. The Brazilian defense uses many senior defenders who are playing in top European leagues such as Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Eder Militao, Bremer, while the team's attack uses quite a lot of young players. Of the 10 Brazilian strikers, only Neymar and Richarlison are sure to be in the starting lineup (Real Madrid), Rodrygo and Pedro (Flamengo) are so famous that they are still "reserved".

Mr. Tite is loyal to the style of play that does not require too much effort to attack massively like the Netherlands and England teams, but the Selecao artists pass and weave the ball around to tire the opponent, then suddenly accelerate, using breakthrough techniques to disrupt the opponent's defense. The teams are all very familiar with this lulling style of play, but it is difficult to defend because the Brazilian players are too excellent.

Rely on the veterans

Meanwhile, the 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia, with an average age of 29.9, still has to maintain its strength with "veterans" such as L. Modrić (37 years old), Ivan Perisic (33 years old). The combat experience of these stars has helped Croatia stand firm against the attacks of its opponents and wait for opportunities.

In the round of 16, coach Z. Dalić had to replace 5 out of 6 forwards and midfielders in the 120-minute match with Japan, but the physical strength of the Croatian players will certainly not be equal to that of Brazil, who played leisurely but still won 4-1 against Korea. Mr. Tite and the Brazilian players will know this weakness to exploit. Obviously, the two teams Croatia and Brazil have just eliminated 2 representatives from Asia in the round of 16, but Brazil and Croatia are showing 2 different levels.

The playing styles of Brazil and Croatia are quite similar, based on the individual technical foundation of the stars. Photo:AP

That said, the difference in strength between Brazil and Croatia is huge, the problem is what moves Selecao will use to defeat the opponent and hide their cards to continue to the final. Football is full of surprises, although judging by the above assessment, Spain was just eliminated from the 2022 World Cup by an African team. But the playing style of Brazil and Croatia is relatively similar, based on the individual technical foundation of the stars, so L.Modrić is unlikely to have the conditions to perform miracles like Morocco.

It is no coincidence that the world's leading prestigious football websites such as Sportmoles, Evening Standard, Whoscored predict the result of the 2022 World Cup quarter-final match between Brazil and Croatia with a difference of 2 goals. Of course, number 10 Neymar will still be the most anticipated name in this match.