World Cup 2022: Reasons for Argentina to be confident of beating Croatia

Both nations booked their places in the last four courtesy of success in quarter-final penalty shootouts, with La Albiceleste prevailing 4-3 against the Netherlands, while the Checkered Ones stunned Brazil to win 4-2 from 12 yards.

Lionel Scaloni's side are the last remaining South American nation competing in Qatar and they are just two victories away from lifting the most prestigious international trophy for the first time since 1986.

Here, Sports Mole looks at three reasons for Argentina to be confident of sending Croatia home and progressing to Sunday's showpiece event.

Impressive semi-final record

Argentina will be competing in their sixth World Cup semi-final when they face Croatia having progressed on each occasion from the previous five, which bodes well ahead of Tuesday's encounter.

La Albiceleste's first semi-final was back in the inaugural 1930 tournament when they beat the USA 6-1 - their joint-second biggest World Cup victory - before losing to Uruguay in the final.

The 1978 World Cup was Argentina's first triumph on the global stage, but before they reached the final they topped a second group phase ahead of Brazil, Poland and Peru, scoring eight goals and keeping three clean sheets across their three matches.

Argentina then secured a 2-0 semi-final win over Belgium in 1986, before beating Italy 4-3 on penalties to progress to the 1990 final following a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.

A penalty shootout triumph was also required in La Albiceleste's most recent semi-final bout in 2014, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Maxi Rodriguez and Ezequiel Garay all on the scoresheet in a 4-2 shootout win over the Netherlands.

Goalscoring prowess

Argentina are known across the globe for having an array of elite attackers within their ranks and they have consistently produced in the final third since Scaloni was appointed as head coach in November 2018.

During Scaloni's tenure, Argentina have scored in 48 of their 55 international matches across all competitions and 31 of these games have seen them score at least twice.

La Albiceleste are currently enjoying a 14-game scoring streak and they have already found the net nine times in five matches at the 2022 World Cup, scoring first on each occasion.

Messi and Julian Alvarez have both got their names on the scoresheet in Qatar, while the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Angel di Maria, Papu Gomez, Paulo Dybala and Angel Correa will all be hoping to make their mark on Tuesday if called upon.

The magic of Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi continues to shine on the biggest international stage and the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will likely be the key to unlocking Croatia's robust backline on Tuesday.

Competing at his fifth and potentially last World Cup, the Paris Saint-Germain star has contributed with four goals and two assists in five matches at this year's tournament, including a goal and an assist in normal time against the Netherlands last time out.

Messi has been hugely influential for La Albiceleste and his performances have been recognised as he has already taken away three man-of-the-match awards in Qatar. Scaloni heaped praise on the 35-year-old after their triumph over the Netherlands and believes the legendary attacker is proving why he is the 'best of all time'.

Argentina's No.10 is motivated by the prospect of lifting his first World Cup and Argentina's first for 36 years, and the nation's all-time record goalscorer - who has netted 95 times in 170 appearances - will be hoping to produce another magical display when he takes on Croatia.

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