The final match of Group L between Croatia and Ghana, taking place at 4:00 AM on June 28th in Philadelphia, will directly determine the group's standings. Currently, the European team has 3 points after a narrow 1-0 victory over Panama on June 24th, while Ghana has 4 points thanks to an unbeaten record (1 win, 1 draw).
A draw could see both teams advance, however, Zlatko Dalic's team needs a win to determine their own position regardless of other factors.
Under Carlos Queiroz, the Ghana national team is making a strong impression with its extremely pragmatic style of play. The "Black Stars" kept clean sheets in their two previous matches, effectively neutralizing the strikers of Panama and England.
With a solid defense, Ghana only faced a total of 7 shots on target after 180 minutes. This style of play is expected to continue against Croatia, as one point would be enough for the African representative to maintain their position in the top group.
On the other side of the battlefield, coach Dalic is facing performance issues with a squad showing signs of aging. Despite possessing world-class midfielders like Modric and Kovacic, Croatia still lacks sharpness in the final stages of the game.
Ante Budimir is expected to start the match to put more pressure on Ghana's defense. In the past, the European team has had an impressive record against African teams, winning 3 out of 4 matches, and has never lost to an opponent ranked outside the top 40 of FIFA in the World Cup .
In terms of personnel, Croatia is expected to operate a 4-2-3-1 formation with the return of Marin Pongracic in defense. Meanwhile, Ghana is likely to maintain the 4-3-3 formation that helped them draw with England, with Benjamin Asare continuing to guard the goal in place of the injured Ati-Zigi.
Source: https://znews.vn/dien-bien-croatia-vs-ghana-post1663740.html
