Croatia v Argentina LIVE: Messi looks to reach World Cup final against Modric

Both teams are searching for redemption having fallen at the final stage of football's greatest tournament in recent years.

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Argentina were beaten finalists in Brazil 2014 but will believe they can go all the way this time after overcoming the Netherlands on penalties last week.

Croatia are sensationally closing in on reaching back-to-back finals having eliminated tournament favourites Brazil last time out.

The winner of this one will face either France or Morocco in the final, while the two losers from each will be involved in a third place playoff.

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Croatia v Argentina: talkSPORT coverage

This World Cup semi-final will take place on Tuesday, December 13, with kick-off at the Lusail Stadium scheduled for 7pm.

talkSPORT will have live coverage of this match, with our pre-show starting at 5pm with Adrian Durham as your presenter.

Commentary will then come from Jim Proudfoot and former England defender Stuart Pearce.

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talkSPORT.com will also have a live blog of the action too.

Croatia v Argentina: Squads and team news

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Croatia have a full bill of health to contend with after Borna Sosa and Mislav Orsic both recovered from illness.

Albiceleste full-backs Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna are both suspended after they picked up bookings last time out.

Croatia

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 Šutalo

Midfielders : Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalić, Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Kristijan Jakic, Luka Sucic

Forwards : Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic, Mislav Orsic, Ante Budimir, Marko Livaja

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Argentina

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Franco Armani

Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, German Pezzella, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico, Juan Foyth

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Guido Rodriguez, Alejandro Gomez, Enzo Fernandez, Exequiel Palacios

Forwards: Angel di Maria, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Joaquin Correa, Paulo Dybala, Lionel Messi

Croatia v Argentina: Match facts

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Luka Modric has made the most World Cup appearances (17) and most appearances at major tournaments (30) for Croatia. He's started all five of their 2022 World Cup matches and could become only the fourth player to start six matches at a World Cup aged 37+, after Brazil's Nilton Santos in 1962, Italy's Dino Zoff in 1982 and England's Peter Shilton in 1990.

Argentina's Lionel Messi has both scored and assisted a goal in three different World Cup matches, including two at this year's tournament (vs Mexico and Netherlands). Since 1966, no player has ever done so in four separate games.

If Lionel Messi plays, he will equal Lothar Matthäus for the most appearances in World Cup history (25). As well as being Argentina's joint-highest goalscorer in the competition (10), he's one assist away from equalling Diego Maradona's overall record of eight at World Cup finals (since 1966).

Croatia have won all four of their penalty shootouts at the World Cup, knocking out Japan and Brazil in the last 16 and quarter-final in 2022 respectively. The only nation to win more penalty shootouts in the competition are Argentina (5).

Argentina have scored first in all five World Cup matches this year, although they failed to win after going two goals ahead in a World Cup match for the first time in their 2-2 draw with the Netherlands. Indeed, 12 of the last 13 goals they've conceded at the World Cup have come in the second half of matches.

Croatia have never failed to score in their 10 World Cup knockout stage matches. However, they've also conceded at least once in each of their last eight, with five of their last six such games going to extra time.

Despite being on the verge of reaching consecutive finals, Croatia haven't scored first in any of their last nine World Cup games, since a 2-1 win over Iceland in the 2018 group stages. This is the furthest into the competition any side has got without opening the scoring in any of their matches.

Argentina have won just one of their last seven World Cup games against European sides (D3 L3), beating Poland 2-0 in the group stages this year. However, two of those three draws have resulted in penalty shootout victories.

Following their penalty shootout victory against Brazil in the quarter-final, Croatia could become just the second side to eliminate both Brazil and Argentina from the knockout stages of the same World Cup, after Germany in 2014.

Croatia were losing finalists in 2018, and could become the fourth European nation to reach consecutive World Cup finals after Italy (1934, 1938), Netherlands (1974, 1978) and Germany (1982, 1986, 1990).

Argentina are looking to reach the World Cup final for the sixth time, a figure bettered only by Germany (8). They've never been eliminated at the semi-final stage before, most recently beating the Netherlands in 2014.

This is the third World Cup meeting between Argentina and Croatia, and first in the knockout stages. Argentina won 1-0 in 1998, before Croatia's 3-0 win in the 2018 edition in Russia.