Brazil vs Croatia at FIFA World Cup 2022: Head-to-head record, schedule and time
Brazil and Croatia meet for the third time in FIFA World Cup history on Friday (9 December). Discover the two teams' shared history.
Football
Brazil and Croatia will lock horns at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in the quarter-finals on Friday (9 December).
It will mark just the fifth time these two football nations have played each other, and the third in the history of this competition.
Brazil cemented their place in the last eight with a dominant 4-1 win over the Republic of Korea, in which they went into half-time four goals to the good.
Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta were all on the scoresheet as Tite’s side ran rampant in the first 45 minutes. Paik Seung-ho pulled one back with 15 to go, but it wasn’t to be for the Koreans.
Croatia come into the last-eight tie having played an extra 30 minutes following a 1-1 draw inside 90 minutes that saw their round-of-16 tie with Japan reach a tense conclusion. The 2018’s runners-up won on penalties, with keeper Dominik Livaković the hero after saving three.
Of the four previous meetings between Croatia and Brazil, who holds the upper hand? Read to find out the exact head-to-head record between the two teams.
Croatia v Brazil 2022: Who won the last time these two faced each other?
The most recent encounter between these two sides was four years ago in a friendly as the pair prepared for the World Cup in Russia.
Brazil went on to suffer a quarter-final knockout, while Croatia made it all the way to the final before being beaten by France.
But in that June friendly, it was the South Americans who looked ready for business as they beat their opponents 2-0 in convincing fashion.
With 63 percent possession, and almost double the amount of passes on the night, Tite’s side were commanding - but it would take them until the 70th minute to find a breakthrough.
It would come courtesy of none other than Neymar, who replaced Fernandinho at half-time to give them more presence going forward.
Roberto Firmino - who was not selected for the tournament in Qatar - sealed the win in stoppage time, with a fantastic chip over the keeper to make it two.
The Croatian squad features a revamped back five now, with Dejan Lovren the only player from that game to have started their round-of-16 clash against Japan on Monday (5 December). 20-year-old Joško Gvardiol now partners him at the back, and is having a standout tournament up until this point.
Midfield stalwart, Luka Modric, is an ever-present figure for his national team and will wear the armband when he leads them out on Friday (9 December).
The Brazilians have also shaken up their squad in the last four years, and their fire power up top is second to none. As well as Neymar, they can call upon Vinicius Jr, Raphinha and Richarlison - that’s without mentioning the array of talent they have on the bench.
A new-look defence vs a new-look attack, who will come out on top?
Croatia v Brazil 2022: Brazil hold the upper hand over 4 meetings
Look away, Croatians!
The head-to-head record does not bode well for their hopes in the upcoming quarter-final, with Brazil having the advantage heading into the last eight.
Of the four games the two have contested, the South Americans have won three times - with a 2005 friendly ending in a draw.
Two of their three victories have been in this competition, the first in 2006 and the second in the opening game of the 2014 tournament.
For Croatia, if they are to progress to the semi-finals of the World Cup 2022, they would need to record an historic first-ever win over Brazil to reach the final four.
Can they do it, or will the strength of their quarter-final competitors prove too much?
Croatia v Brazil at the World Cup
2006: Brazil 1-0 Croatia
2014: Brazil 3-1 Croatia
Croatia v Brazil 2022: Schedule and time
The quarter-final encounter between Croatia and Brazil will take place at the Education City Stadium in Ar Rayyan, Qatar.
Kick-off is scheduled for 6pm local time on Friday 9 December. That's 4pm CET.