On Friday and Saturday, Round 5: Road to the Finals of the Big Match Predictor gets underway with the World Cup quarter-finals. You can find info on team form and key stats below to help you make your predictions!
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Quarter-final: Croatia vs Brazil (9/12, 5pm SAST)
Croatia:
- Croatia finished second in their group before beating Japan on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the last 16. They're ranked 12th in the world and their form reads: WDWDD.
- In their 1-1 draw with Japan, Croatia had 17 shots, with nine inside the box. Tottenham Hotspur winger Ivan Perisic scored a long-range header.
- Croatia have delivered 6.3 accurate crosses per match at this World Cup, the second-most out of all the teams.
- In their last 11 World Cup matches, Croatia have been beaten on just one occasion, by France in the final in Russia in 2018.
Brazil:
- Brazil topped their group before thrashing South Korea 4-1 in the round of 16. They are No. 1 in the latest FIFA World Rankings and their last five results are: WWWLW.
- The return of talisman Neymar against South Korea was a big boost. He assisted and scored a goal in the first 13 minutes and ended with three shots in his 81 minutes.
- Brazil have allowed a total expected goals of just 1.40 xG in the tournament so far. They've missed all 12 of the "big chances" they've created.
- The Selecao have only been beaten twice in their last 33 matches. Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times, but not for 20 years (since 2002).
Predicted Result: Brazil WIN. Croatia have needed some luck to get this far and Brazil have too much firepower.
Recommended Scoreline Options: 2-0 or 3-0
Quarter-final: Netherlands vs Argentina (9/12, 9pm SAST)
Argentina:
- According to the latest FIFA rankings, Argentina are placed third in the world. They have lost just once in 37 matches and their form reads: WLWWW.
- Argentina beat Australia 2-1 in their last match to reach the quarter-finals as they outshot the Socceroos 14-5 and created four big chances. They've missed 10 big chances as a team at this tournament, with Lautaro Martinez spurning three of those.
- Of Argentina's 14 shots against Australia, Lionel Messi took six of them and set up four chances for teammates. He has scored in seven of his last eight matches for his country.
- Argentina have been knocked out in the quarter-finals in three of the last six World Cups. The Netherlands beat them at this stage in 1998.
Netherlands:
- The Netherlands beat USA 3-1 in the round of 16. They are ranked 8th by FIFA and their last five results are: WWDWW.
- The Dutch have conceded just 0.5 goals per game at the World Cup (two conceded in four matches). Only Tunisia and Morocco have conceded fewer.
- Key forward Memphis Depay netted against USA in a team move featuring 20 passes. Right-wing-back Denzel Dumfries scored once and assisted two goals.
- Aside from penalty shootouts, Louis van Gaal is unbeaten in 11 matches in charge of the Netherlands at FIFA World Cups. They're currently on a run of just one loss in 27 matches.
Predicted Result: DRAW. These sides look evenly matched so this could go to extra-time.
Recommended Scoreline Options: 2-2 or 1-1
Quarter-final: Morocco vs Portugal (10/12, 5pm SAST)
Morocco:
- Morocco are unbeaten in four matches at this World Cup, with just one goal conceded. They sit 22nd in the FIFA World Rankings, with their last five results reading: WDWWD.
- The Atlas Lions beat Spain on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the round of 16. Morocco only had 23% possession, winning 16 tackles and making 41 clearances.
- Captain Romain Saiss of Besiktas made 10 clearances and 11 ball recoveries against Spain. Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat won four tackles and made nine ball recoveries.
- Morocco's last 43 matches saw just two losses. They faced Portugal in the 2018 World Cup, losing 1-0 to them in the group stage.
Portugal:
- Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16 to reach the quarter-finals. They sit 9th in the FIFA rankings, with their form guide reading: WWWLW.
- Striker Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in the last match, in only his fourth appearance for his country. He had six shots against the Swiss and created two chances.
- Portugal put up 2.28 expected goals and had five big chances against Switzerland. Substitute Cristiano Ronaldo had one shot, a free-kick that hit the wall.
- Selecao das Quinas have reached the quarter-finals for just the second time in six World Cups. They finished fourth at the 2006 edition in Germany.
Predicted Result: Portugal WIN. Morocco will fight hard but may be suffering from fatigue after going to extra-time against Spain.
Recommended Scoreline Options: 1-0 or 2-0
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Quarter-final: England vs France (10/12, 9pm SAST)
England:
- The Three Lions topped their group before beating Senegal 3-0 in the round of 16. Gareth Southgate's team sit 5th in the FIFA World Rankings and their form reads: DWDWW.
- Captain Harry Kane netted his 52nd goal for England against Senegal. It was his first goal at this tournament with his sixth shot.
- England only had eight shots against Senegal despite having 61% possession. However, four of those eight efforts were big chances.
- England finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup. They are looking to reach successive semi-finals for the first time ever.
France:
- Les Bleus finished top of their group before beating Poland 3-1 in the last 16. The recent form of the world's 4th-ranked side reads: DWWLW.
- Star player Kylian Mbappe scored two goals and assisted another for Olivier Giroud against Poland. The PSG forward had five shots and five successful dribbles in that match.
- France allowed Poland 1.75 expected goals and two big chances. They had to block five shots and conceded nine shots inside the box.
- The French have won nine of their last 11 World Cup matches. They are looking to become only the third side to win consecutive crowns and the first since Brazil in 1962.
Predicted Result: DRAW. This could be a very close match that requires extra-time.
Recommended Score-line Options: 1-1 or 2-2
