Anticipation builds as the Ghanaian team makes a memorable entrance.
double quotation mark Since Argentina in 1978, there have been two new winners, and those were France and Spain, from the heart of Uefa, their success based on maximising the advantages of being European and wealthy; no countries have been so successful at industrialising youth production, so much so that they now provide the models for every country seeking to invest in academy programmes.
The players have arrived!
For Antoine Semenyo, transitioning from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to Carlos Quieroz’s Ghana represents a significant shift. Although he has yet to make a notable impact, fans are eager to witness his long throw techniques.
Croatia’s lineup includes: Livakovic, Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Perisic, Modric, Kovacic, Vlasic, Petar Sucic, Baturina, Budimir.
The substitutes are: Pandur, Kotarski, Gvardiol, Caleta-Car, Moro, Kramaric, Mario Pasalic, Jakic, Fruk, Matanovic, Luka Sucic, Vuskovic, Marco Pasalic, Erlic, Musa.
Ghana’s squad features: Asare, Senaya, Adjetey, Luckassen, Mensah, Partey, Owusu, Sibo, Sulemana, Ayew, Semenyo.
Their substitutes include: Ati-Zigi, Anang, Seidu, Yirenkyi, Mumin, Fatawu, Thomas-Asante, Baah, Baba, Opoku, Williams, Boakye, Oppong, Nuamah, Adu.
Referee: Drew Fischer (Canada).
For those interested in mainstream coverage, follow the England vs. Panama match with Scott Murray.
John Brewin is set to cover the Football Daily, which is highly anticipated.
Croatia likely requires a draw against Ghana to advance to the knockout stage, yet Ivan Perisic remains confident in the team’s historical success against African opponents.
The 2018 runners-up and 2022 third-place finishers have secured three victories and one draw against African teams since 2014, including a win over Morocco to clinch third place.
“That’s something that we commented on,” Perisic stated. “And we played against many teams in the past 10 years, and all of the results were positive. So I believe that this is going to be the same this time as well, and that we will be playing a very good match, just like we did against the other teams.”
As the final matchday of Group L approaches, England and Ghana sit on four points, while Croatia has three and Panama has already been eliminated. The central question remains whether Croatia can replicate its previous decade of success. Following a 4-2 defeat to England, Croatia managed a narrow 1-0 victory over Panama, thanks to Ante Budimir’s goal in the 54th minute.
With Perisic at 37 and captain Luka Modric at 40, manager Zlatko Dalic acknowledges that the team’s recent performances have been below par.
“We need to raise the level of our play,” he remarked through an interpreter. “We’re not what Croatia can be. So we haven’t shown the best we can, but tomorrow is the opportunity to do so. We never made so many mistakes in some of the passes or when we were in the possession of the ball. This is where we had the force and we were really strong, but we seem to be losing the ball easily. We need to be quicker and we need to raise the level of concentration.“ Perisic also was unsure whether Ghana’s low-block approach, a staple of several Carlos Queiroz-managed World Cup sides, would continue. “They are a very good team,”
“But yes, we’re focusing on ourselves and our game and what we need to do. And we need to be a lot better than we were in the past two matches.”
Luka Modric has yet to find his rhythm in this tournament. He may find more opportunities against Ghana if they defend as deeply as anticipated.
Pre-match insights from our very own Adrian Chiles are available.
Adrian recently excelled in an interview with ITV News’ Dan Hewitt.
This match serves as a pivotal point in the group, where a win is essential for second place, but Ghana holds a one-point lead, making a draw sufficient for their advancement. Carlos Quieroz, known for instilling defensive discipline, is well-suited for this challenge.
However, Croatia can be a formidable opponent when focused. Despite their struggles thus far, including a loss to England and a narrow win over Panama aided by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, they need collective support around Modric, who cannot shoulder all the responsibility at 40.
The match promises to be captivating.
Kick-off: 10pm BST/5pm EDT/7am AEST.
