Croatia and Ghana are locked in on 3 points and both of them have a very realistic chance of qualifying for the knockout stages. But with the way things are panning out with regard to the race for being one of the best third-placed teams, both sides will look for a victory which will save them the trouble of relying on other results to seal qualification.
Here is our Preview and Predictions for the game.
Croatia bounced back from that 4-2 thumping against England with what was a very laboured and disjointed, but an equally important 1-0 victory against Panama where they had to really earn their keep against what was a resilient and feisty performance by the Central American nation.
Croatia enters this game with a far greater urgency of a victory than Ghana given that a draw will put them at the mercy of other results on account of their comparatively poor goal difference (they currently stand at -1 on the goal difference spectrum). But a victory will be a difficult ask given how laboured and cumbersome they have looked in attack.
Against Panama, they surprisingly faced more shots on their goal than they attempted, but eventually found their goal they craved courtesy of Ante Budimir. For all the talent and experience they have in their ranks, the fact that they have yet to convert that into consistent and cohesive attacking performances has been a surprise.
Ghana, meanwhile, have been a beacon of resilience and their defense almost impenetrable as they are one of the very few teams yet to concede a single goal in the tournament so far.
Under coach Carlos Quieroz, they have embraced the defensive identity that is typical of the teams that he has managed in the past. The best example of their defense came against England where they managed to keep the much-vaunted English attack at bay without much trouble.
Ghana know that a draw will be more than enough to send them through, but despite that knowledge they will definitely look to push for the win so that they have a chance to top the group on the chance that England drop points against Panama in the other game.
We believe that this game ends in a draw with both sides eventually getting what they want and qualifying for the next round of the World Cup.
Score Predictions: Croatia 0-0 Ghana
Venue: Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia.
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