@BurrOaks77's World Cup 3rd Place Picks: Croatia vs Morocco - 12/17

The 3rd place match for World Cup is always a tough one to handicap. Player motivations are questionable and a lot of veterans are on club teams competing for top spots. Not to mention that UCL is right around the corner for some players. It is tough to balance representing your country for a consolation game and resting for club football.

Croatia has a lot of players who need to focus on UCL and their club’s title race. Modric, Perisic, Pasalic, Kovacic, and Brozovic are all on clubs competing for a top 4 finish in their league. They also have to worry about UCL and Europa later this season. It may be in their best interest as well as the club’s best interest to sit this one out. That is good for any of the younger bench players on the roster who may get some quality time on the pitch. It is always an honor to represent your country, but sometimes you have to make a business decision not to leave your club out to dry. Absolutely no one wants to pick up an injury in this game. I expect Croatia to play a heavy rotation and give their youth/ subs a chance. Croatia will need to do a lot of rebuilding after this run as they are an older roster. This is a perfect time to get younger players accustomed to the World Cup atmosphere.

Morocco did a phenomenal job representing their nation. This squad has a lot of young talent and will be looking to build future success. I think their players will be ready and motivated to play this one. Where Croatia had expectations on a finals appearance, Morocco vastly outperformed expectations. I think Morocco runs out their best lineup and tries to get the third place trophy. After all, this team was expected to wash out in group stages.