Croatia take on Morocco for the third-place playoff at World Cup 2022.
Saturday’s game will be the second encounter between the Atlas Lions and 2018 runners-up at this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Their opening group match ended in a goalless draw.
Kashef, our artificial intelligence (AI) robot, has analysed more than 200 metrics, including the number of wins, goals scored and FIFA rankings, from matches played over the past century to see who is most likely to win on Saturday.
Here is Kashef’s prediction:
Who: Croatia vs Morocco
Where: Khalifa International Stadium
When: December 17, 6pm (15:00 GMT)
Prediction: Morocco’s dreams of reaching the World Cup final were dashed after a 2-0 loss to France in the semifinal. The most unpredictable team at the World Cup made history by becoming the first Arab and African country to reach the last four. The Croatians, led by Luka Modric, were beaten 3-0 by Argentina in the first semifinal.
The two sides have faced each other on two occasions with both matches ending in a draw after 90 minutes. Croatia went on to win on penalties.
Kashef slightly favours 12th-ranked Croatia for the win today, giving the team a 56 percent chance of beating 22nd-ranked Morocco.
Who is going to win the World Cup?
With 62 matches completed, Kashef has a 68 percent accuracy level. Sizing up all the odds, it could not be any closer with only one percent separating Argentina and France from winning a third title.
However, only one team can emerge victorious. Kashef predicts that France, captained by Hugo Lloris, will edge out Argentina on Sunday to win the 2022 World Cup.
Predicting match results is no easy task. External factors such as team morale or player fitness make a big difference in how the game goes.
See if you can outsmart Kashef and predict Sunday’s winners by playing our AI game here.
How much money do the World Cup winners get?
For 2022, FIFA has allocated $42m to the winning team – an increase of $4m compared with four years ago in Russia.
In addition to the prize money, the winning team will receive a gold-plated bronze replica of the 18-carat gold trophy – measuring 38cm (15 inches) in height and weighing 6kg (13lbs) – designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga.
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