Croatia v Belgium – what the stats say

Belgium have won their last two meetings with Croatia in all competitions, with Romelu Lukaku netting all three of their goals across these victories.

This is the first Fifa World Cup meeting between Croatia and Belgium. Croatia have only lost two of their 10 meetings with fellow European nations in the competition (W6 D2), with both of those losses coming against France (1998 semifinal, 2018 final).

Croatia have scored more than once in just one of their eight meetings with Belgium in all competitions, winning 4-0 in March 2003 in a European Championships qualifier – they’ve scored just five goals across the other seven matches with the Red Devils.

Last time out, Croatia scored four goals in a single World Cup game for only the second time in their history, also doing so against Cameroon in 2014 (4-0). Croatia have won four of their last five group stage games at the World Cup (D1), as many as in their first 12 such games combined (W4 D2 L6).

Belgium’s 2-0 defeat to Morocco on matchday two ended a 13-game unbeaten run across World Cup group stage games (W8 D5), they last lost consecutive World Cup group games between 1982 and 1986 (three in a row).

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Belgium have scored just one goal from a total of 19 shots at World Cup 2022, a conversion rate of just 5 per cent - their lowest such rate in a single edition of the World Cup since 1982 (3 per cent - 3 goals from 93 shots).

Croatia have avoided defeat in four of the last five World Cup games in which they conceded the first goal (W2 D2), with all five games coming since the start of the 2018 edition. Prior to this run, Croatia had won just one of their previous six World Cup matches in which they’d conceded the first goal (W1 L5), winning 2-1 against Italy in 2002.

Thibaut Courtois could make his 100th appearance for Belgium in this match and would become the first goalkeeper to reach this milestone for the men’s national side and seventh player overall after Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel, Toby Alderweireld, Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens and Romelu Lukaku.

Ivan Perišic has been directly involved in 16 goals at the World Cup and EUROs combined (9 goals, 7 assists), six more than any other Croatia player. Against Canada, Perišic, became the first Croatia player to provide two assists in a single major tournament match (World Cup + Euros).

On matchday two, Andrej Kramaric became the second player to score a brace for Croatia at the World Cup after Mario Mandžukic in 2014 against Cameroon. Kramaric is looking to become the fourth Croatian to score three or more goals at a single World Cup after Davor Suker in 1998 (6), Mario Mandzukic in 2018 (3) and Ivan Perisic in 2018 (3).