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Croatia and Belgium will square off in a high-profile 2022 FIFA World Cup Group F match at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
Croatia are at the top of the Group F standings with four points thanks to a draw and win from their first two games of the competition. They were held to a goalless draw by Morocco in their campaign opener.
In their second group-stage game on Sunday against Canada, they conceded a goal just two minutes after kick-off but fought back well to secure a 4-1 win. Andrej Kramarić bagged a brace, while Marko Livaja and Lovro Majer added the other two goals.
A draw will be enough for them to qualify for the next round irrespective of the result of the game between Morocco and Canada.
Belgium fell to a shock 2-0 defeat against Morocco, conceding two late goals. They will need to secure a win from the game if they are to guarantee their place in the next round. If they play out a draw, they will need Canada to defeat Morocco.
Croatia vs Belgium Head-to-Head stats
The two teams have locked horns nine times across all competitions and just two of these games have been friendlies. The head-to-head record is even at the moment, with three wins apiece for both teams and two games ending in draws.
Belgium have been the better team in recent meetings against their southern rivals and are undefeated in the last three games, picking up two wins in a row. Just three of their eight meetings have produced over 2.5 goals.
Croatia form guide: W-D-W-W-W
Belgium form guide: L-W-L-L-W
Croatia vs Belgium: Numbers you need to know before their FIFA World Cup 2022 encounter
Croatia are undefeated in their last five group-stage games at the World Cup, winning four of them while Belgium are undefeated in the group stage since 1998, though they did not play in the 2006 and 2010 editions.
There have been under 2.5 goals per match in Belgium's last four games at the World Cup, while Croatia have seen over 2.5 goals in four of their last five games in the competition.
Kockasti head into the game on a seven-game unbeaten run, winning six games in that period while the Red Devils have just one win to their name in their last four games across all competitions.
Both teams have some very big names in the lineup but Croatia look to be the better-balanced team of the two and are likely to avoid a defeat.
