Croatia and Morocco go head-to-head in the third place play-off at the World Cup this afternoon.
Both nations would have loved to have taken part in Sunday’s final, but after defeats to Argentina and France respectively, they will take part in the match that no fan wants to see their countries take part in.
After getting through the Round of 16 and quarter-finals on penalties, Croatia were no match for Argentina, as they were swept away thanks to a Lionel Messi masterclass.
Luka Modric and Croatia were unable to make the final of the World Cup as they did in 2018
Morocco were eliminated by reigning champions France after making history at the World Cup
After seeing off Belgium, Spain and Portugal, it was one step too far for Morocco as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to the reigning champions France.
With the match fast approaching, Sportsmail takes you through everything you need to know below.
When is Croatia vs Morocco?
Croatia and Morocco will go head-to-head today, with kick-off at 3pm GMT, 10am EST in the USA and on Sunday at 1am for Australian Eastern Time.
Date: Saturday, December 17
Time: 3pm (UK time), 10am (US EST), 1am – Dec 18 (AUS EST)
How to watch Croatia vs Morocco
The third-place play-off between Croatia and Morocco will be aired live on BBC One and will also be screened on the BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.
US based World Cup fans can view the match on Fox Sports 1 and the Fox Sports website with a valid login. Telemundo and Peacock will also be screening the game.
Australian fans can watch the game for free on SBS, including the live stream.
UK: BBC One, BBC iPlayer
US: Fox Sports, Telemundo and Peacock
Australia: SBS and SBS On Demand
Where is Croatia vs Morocco being played?
The third-place play-off featuring Croatia vs Morocco will take place at the Khalifa International Stadium.
It has a capacity of 45,416 and it will be the eighth and final match hosted at the stadium – the first of which was England’s 6-2 victory over Iran.
This stadium is unique as it is the only one being used at this World Cup that hasn’t been specifically built for the tournament.
The Khalifa International Stadium was built in 1976 and redeveloped in 2017. It has hosted several large sporting events including the World Athletics Championships and the FIFA Club World Cup final in 2019.
It is also the only stadium from the tournament that won’t be partially or fully dismantled following the World Cup.
Location: Al Rayyan, Doha
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
The third-place play-off will be the eighth match staged at the Khalifa International Stadium
Croatia vs Morocco: Team news
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has largely been free of injury concerns throughout their time in Qatar.
While Saturday’s game offers the chance to hand some of his back-up options a run-out, there is nothing stopping them from putting out another strong squad to wrap up third place at the World Cup for the second time – having previously done so in 1998.
Morocco, meanwhile, have been decimated by injuries. Nayef Aguerd, Romain Saiss and Noussair Mazraoui were all injured during the semi-final loss to France.
Manager Walid Regragui confirmed there will be changes as he said his players are ‘on their last legs’ following their efforts in Qatar.
Romain Saiss was one of three Morocco players who were injured in the semi-final loss
Croatia squad
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic, Ivica Ivusic, Ivo Grbic.
Defenders: Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Borna Barisic, Josip Juranovic, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanisic, Martin Erlic, Josip Sutalo.
Midfielders: Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalic, Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Kristijan Jakic, Luka Sucic.
Forwards: Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic, Mislav Orsic, Ante Budimir, Marko Livaja.
Morocco squad
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou, Munir El Kajoui, Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti
Defenders: Anas Zniti, Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Ganza Ek Niyssaiyu, Romain Saiss, Achraf Dari, Badr Benoun, Yahia Attiyat Allah, Jawad El Yamiq, Samy Mmaee
Midfielders: Younes Belhanda, Sofyan Amrabat, Azzedine Ounahi, Abdelhamid Sabiri, Ilias Chair, Selim Amallah, Yahya Jabrane, Amine Harit
Forwards: Hakim Ziyech, Munir El Haddadi, Zakaria Aboukhlal, Ayoub El Kaabi, Soufiane Rahimi, Sofiane Boufal, Youssef En-Nesyri, Ryan Mmaee, Abde Ezzalzouli.
Head-to-head record
Croatia: 1
Morocco wins: 0
Draws: 1
These two nations will have played each more in less than a month than they have done in their respective histories before that.
Before the World Cup, these two sides only met once before and it came in the Hassan II Trophy, a friendly tournament organised by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation that was played in the city of Casablanca.
In front of an estimated crowd of 80,000, Croatia raced into an early lead with two goals in two minutes from Goran Vlaovic after a quarter of an hour.
Morocco rallied with goals from Salaheddine Bassir and Ahmed Bahja but they fell just short in a penalty shoot-out, losing 7-6.
Then 26 years later in Qatar, the two nations played out an uneventful goalless draw, with both sides only having two shots on target each in the game.
Dec 1996 – Morocco 2-2 Croatia (6-7 pens) (Friendly)
Nov 2022 – Morocco 0-0 Croatia
Croatia and Morocco played out a goalless draw but both advanced from their group
