Three massive points are at stake when Croatia and Canada meet in a FIFA World Cup Group F match, as both nations seek a victory that would put them in a strong position to advance to the Round of 16 as one of the top two finishers in the group.
The Canadian team earned praise around the globe after playing Belgium off the park in their first World Cup match since 1986. However, they lost 1-0 and will be desperate to get something from the Croatia match, with Morocco waiting on the final matchday next Thursday.
World Cup 2018 finalists Croatia are, on paper, the stronger side, with several players who ply their trade at Europe’s top clubs. However, they looked average in their opener against Morocco, which finished 0-0.
They’ll have some extra motivation when they face Canada on Sunday courtesy of a comment from Les Rouges coach John Herdman, which Croatia didn’t take that well.
Herdman told a Canadian national TV audience that his message to his team after the Belgium loss was to go out and “eff Croatia” in the next game.
A Croatian tabloid newspaper caught wind and published a cover with a doctored image of a naked Herdman, crudely asking whether he and Canada had the guts to show it on the field. The Toronto Sun answered in kind on his behalf, and Croatia’s manager demanded respect.
The back-and-forth has only served to raise the flame under a match that shouldn’t take too long to boil over.
The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights for Croatia vs. Canada at the 2022 World Cup. Follow below for complete results from the Group F match in Qatar.
MORE: Best bets for Canada vs. Croatia
Croatia vs Canada live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Croatia | — | — | — |
| Canada | — | — | — |
Goals:
None
Projected lineups:
Croatia (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Livakovic (GK) — 22. Juranovic, 24. Sutalo, 20. Gvardiol, 19. Sosa — 10. Modric, 11. Brozovic, 8. Kovacic — 7. Majer, 14. Livaja, 4. Perisic
Canada (3-4-3, right to left): 18. Borjan (GK) — 2. Johnston, 5. Vitoria, 4. Miller — 11. Buchanan, 7. Eustaquio, 13. Hutchinson, 3. Adekugbe — 20. David, 17. Larin, 19. Davies
MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Belgium | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| 2. Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. Morocco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. Canada | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Croatia vs Canada live updates, highlights from 2022 World Cup
4 hrs 15mins from kickoff: TSN’s Matthew Scianitti with the latest update from Qatar on the ‘eff Croatia’ controversy, and lineup questions.
Are changes coming to Canada’s starting XI tomorrow? @TSNScianitti weighs in pic.twitter.com/2K4I3hPFgl
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 26, 2022
4 hrs from kickoff: Canada supporters gearing up for this decisive match can get their juices flowing by watching this video:
Croatia vs Canada lineups, team news
Nikola Vlasic picked up a calf injury during the Morocco match and is expected to sit out with a number of players (Mario Pasalic, Lovro Majer or Mislav Orsic) who could potentially replace him.
Other changes reportedly being entertained are at the back (Josip Sutalo for Dejan Lovren), and the forward positions, with Hajduk Split’s Marko Livaja widely expected to replace Andrej Kramaric, who plays in the German Bundesliga.
Croatia (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Dominik Livakovic (GK) — 22. Josip Juranovic, 24. Josip Sutalo, 20. Josko Gvardiol, 19. Borna Sosa — 10. Luka Modric, 11. Marcelo Brozovic, 8. Mateo Kovacic — 7. Lovro Majer, 14. Marko Livaja, 4. Ivan Perisic
Canada manager John Herdman says all 26 players are available for selection, but the lineup speculation has revolved around whether some of the players could use a break with three matches played in the span of eight days.
Alphonso Davies and Alistair Johnston, two of Canada’s most important players, are one yellow card away from being suspended for the final game, but Herdman says he’s not thinking about cards when naming the lineup.
Canada (3-4-3, right to left): 18. Borjan (GK) — 2. Johnston, 5. Vitoria, 4. Miller — 11. Buchanan, 7. Eustaquio, 13. Hutchinson, 3. Adekugbe — 20. David, 17. Larin, 19. Davies
Croatia vs Canada live stream, TV channel
This was already set to be a barnburner based on the fact that both teams are desperate for three points. Add the fact that Canada coach John Herdman stated on national TV that he told his team they’ve got to go out and “eff Croatia,” and that has the potential to inject another level of animosity to the encounter.
The upstart Canadians lost a heartbreaker against Belgium, prompting the emotional outburst by Herdman. Although Belgium survived the Canadian scare, World Cup 2018 finalists Croatia could be an upset candidate given how poor they looked in their scoreless draw against Morocco.
Here’s how you can watch all the action in the major global territories.
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 11:00 ET | FS1, Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes site/app, Peacock |
| Canada | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 11:00 EST | CTV, TSN, RDS (French) |
CTV site/app, TSN site/app, RDS app |
| UK | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 16:00 GMT | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Australia | Monday, Nov. 28 | 03:00 AEDT | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 21:30 IST | Sports18 | Voot, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Monday, Nov. 28 | 00:00 HKT | Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Monday, Nov. 28 | 00:00 MYT | Astro, TV2, Unifi TV |
Astro GO |
| Singapore | Monday, Nov. 28 | 00:00 SGT | StarHub (Ch. 251/252), Singtel TV |
Singtel TV GO, CAST, StarHub TV+, MeWatch |
| New Zealand | Monday, Nov. 28 | 05:00 NZDT | Prime TV, Sky Sport 7 beIN |
Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW |
Watch the match on fuboTV in USA:
Credit: sportingnews.com