Croatia and Brazil meet in the first leg of their 2022 World Cup quarterfinal match as they prepare for their respective toughest matches to date.
Croatia finished second in their group and needed to eliminate Japan on penalties, but now they face the daunting task of beating the tournament favorites.
Brazil has beaten most of the opponents they have faced in their first-team matches, most notably against South Korea in the Round of 16 when they swept the Asian side 4-1.
Brazil has never lost to Croatia, but can expect a tougher test against a European team that reached the World Cup finals four years ago.
As the clash approaches, Sportsmail will take you through all you need to know below.
When is Croatia v Brazil?
Croatia and Brazil will be battling for a place in the semi-finals as they face the winner of Netherlands v Argentina. The match will start at 3pm GMT on Friday, 10am EST and 1am AEDT on Saturday.
Date: Friday, Dec. 9
Time: 3 p.m. (UK time), 10 a.m. (EST), 1 a.m. until December 10 (AEST)
How to watch the match
The Croatia v Brazil match will be broadcast live on BBC One and available to UK viewers on BBC iPlayer. Welsh viewers can also watch the match on S4C.
World Cup fans in the U.S. can watch the game on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports with a valid login. Telemundo and Peacock will also be showing the game.
Australian fans can watch the games for free on SBS, including live streaming.
United Kingdom: BBC One and BBC iPlayer
USA: Fox Sports, Telemundo and Peacock
Australia: SBS and SBS On Demand
Where is Croatia vs. Brazil played?
The Croatia v Brazil match will be held at the Education City Stadium in Irene.
The stadium has a record capacity of 44,667, which was set in the previous round when it hosted Morocco’s Round of 16 victory over Spain.
This will be the last match played on the ground before the stadium is reduced to a capacity of 25,000 after the tournament.
Location: Irene, Qatar
Stadium: Education City Stadium
Croatia vs Brazil: Team News
Brazil boss Tite made a decision on the fitness of wing-back Alex Sandro, who has missed the last two games with a hip injury, but insisted he would not gamble, suggesting he would keep Danilo in the squad.
After losing his place to the returning Neymar, Fred could return to the starting lineup to provide more protection in the midfield. Lucas Paqueta could be the player to make way.
Meanwhile, Croatia may welcome the return of Borna Souza after he missed the penalty shootout against Japan due to illness.
Croatia team
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic, Ivica Ivusic, Ivo Gribic.
Defenders: Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Borna Barisic, Josep Djuranovic, Jorsko Gwadiore, Borna Sosa, Josep Stanisic, Martin Erik, Josep Sutalo.
Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalic, Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majerle, Kristijan Jakic, Luka Sučić.
Forwards: Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic, Mislav Orsic, Ante Budimir, Marko Rivaha.
Brazil team
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Edson, Weverton.
Defenders: Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Bremer, Eder Militang, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva.
Midfielders: Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta.
Forwards: Anthony, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Pedro, Rafinha, Richarlison, Rodrigo, Vinicius Jr.
Head-to-head record
Since Croatia gained independence in 1991, the two sides have played only four times – two of them during the World Cup. Brazil is unbeaten in three matches.
Their first meeting in 2005 was a friendly that ended 1-1, and a year later they met in the World Cup group stage in Germany, where Kaka scored the only goal a minute before halftime.
The next match was also a World Cup encounter, when Brazil and Croatia played in the opening match of the 2014 tournament hosted by South America. Despite a strong performance, Croatia was beaten 3-1, with Marcelo’s brace allowing Neymar to respond with two goals and Oscar adding three more in the final minute.
Their last meeting was four years ago in Russia in a friendly on the eve of the last World Cup, when goals from Neymar and Roberto Firmino gave them a 2-0 win.
