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The FIFA World Cup 2022 has entered it's quarterfinals stage as eight teams including France, England, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Netherlands, Morocco and Croatia will battle for the last four spots in the competition. The quarterfinals will commence from Friday, December 9 with Croatia and Brazil to lock horns at the Education City Stadium.
Considering the goal difference, Portugal (5), Brazil (3) and England (3) registered the biggest wins in the Round of 16 fixtures followed by Netherlands (2), France (2) and Argentina (1) while Croatia and Morocco won their respective games in the penalties.
FIFA World Cup 2022: Quarterfinals schedule
- Croatia vs Brazil - December 9 at 8:30 pm IST
- Netherlands vs Argentina - December 10 at 12:30 am IST
- Morocco vs Portugal - December 10 at 8:30 pm IST
- England vs France - December 11 at 12:30 am IST
Who will qualify for the semifinals?
1. Croatia vs Brazil
Brazil have shown spectacular performances in the FIFA World Cup 2022 as they have scored a total of seven goals in the competition and conceded just two goals. On the other hand, the 2018 World Cup runners up, Croatia managed just one victory in the regular time against Canada while they played two goalless draws in the group stage and won their Round of 16 fixture against Japan in penalties.
Brazil are expected to beat Croatia in the quarterfinals and book their ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2022 semifinals.
2. Netherlands vs Argentina
Netherlands and Argentina have faced each other nine times and the Dutch side have an edge over Lionel Messi's Argentina with four wins and two draws. However, Argentina are expected to dominate Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup 2022 quarterfinal considering their players decent form. After losing their opener against Saudi Arabia, Argentina bounced back and displayed commendable performance as they conceded just one goal in their last three matches.
On the other hand, Netherlands should not be taken lightly as they are unbeaten in the quadrennial showpiece and scored eight goals in four matches while they conceded just two goals.
3. Morocco vs Portugal
Morocco have shown an admirable resistance against the World giants like Belgium, Spain and Croatia to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. Portugal, on the other side, dominated Switzerland exceptionally in their Round of 16 tie despite Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench. A Selecao players like Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Goncalo Ramos and others have shown their tremendous form and are expected to win against Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech's Morocco.
4. England vs France
The final quarterfinal fixture in the FIFA World Cup 2022 will see two giants England and defending champions France squaring off against each other. Both the teams have played each other 31 times and the Three Lions dominate the fixture with 17 wins and five draws as Les Bleus won on nine occasions. Both, England and France hold a number of world class players in their squads, who are capable to turn the tables at any given point in the match.
Defending champions France are expected to win the fixture with the help of the staggering forms of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Adrien Rabiot, Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud among others. However, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and other talented players from England can change the game at any time.