After three weeks of pulsating action, just
eight teams are left standing as the 32-nation tournament heads into the final
rounds of knockout competition after a two-day break.
A blockbuster set of quarter-finals gets
under way on Friday when five-time champions Brazil face 2018 runners-up
Croatia.
That clash is the appetiser for another
heavyweight World Cup collision between Lionel Messi's Argentina and three-time
losing finalists the Netherlands.
On Saturday, Morocco will carry the flag
for African football in their quarter-final clash with Portugal before holders
France face England in an eagerly anticipated showdown.
Wins for Argentina and Brazil on Friday
would set up a titanic semi-final between the two South American heavyweights.
For now though Brazil are looking no
further than Friday's assignment against Croatia at the Education City Stadium
in Doha.
"They have individual quality and
collective quality as well as a resilience and persistence," Brazil coach
Tite said of Croatia.
"We are aware of their virtues but my
focus is on maintaining our standards and whoever plays best will go
through."
Croatia captain Luka Modric said Thursday
that his side were determined to progress beyond the last eight.
"We did a great thing by going to the
quarter-finals, but regardless of that we would like to do more," the Real
Madrid midfielder said.
"We have to play our best match. And
if we do that we have a chance of winning."
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is
optimistic that Angel Di Maria and Rodrigo De Paul will be available for his
side's clash against the Netherlands after injury issues.
His opposite number, Louis van Gaal, back
in charge of the Dutch for a third spell, said his team would have to step up a
gear to compete with the South American side, who beat them on penalties in the
2014 semi-final in Brazil.
"The tournament is actually starting
tomorrow for real for us, although of course I don't want to downplay the
importance of other countries we were able to beat," he said.
"But Argentina and Brazil, who we will
possibly play in the next round, are quite different to the teams we beat in the
group stage and last 16."
On Saturday, all eyes will be on the battle
between France and England at the Al-Bayt Stadium, the Bedouin tent-inspired
structure located in the desert outside Doha.
England said Thursday that forward Raheem
Sterling is set to return to the squad after initially leaving the team's World
Cup base following a break-in at his family home.
Sterling did not feature in England's squad
for the 3-0 last-16 win against Senegal and it would be a major surprise if the
28-year-old starts against France.
In Saturday's other quarter-final, buoyant
Portugal will be looking to end Morocco's fairytale run to the last eight.
Portugal produced one of the most
scintillating displays of the tournament by dismantling Switzerland 6-1 in the
last 16 after coach Fernando Santos opted to drop Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's replacement, 21-year-old Goncalo
Ramos, fired a brilliant hat-trick as Portugal ran riot.
According to reports in Portugal, Santos's
bombshell decision to drop Ronaldo prompted the 37-year-old superstar to
threaten to walk out of the team camp.
But Ronaldo took to social media to stress
the squad was rock solid after the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) issued
a statement denying the reported bust-up with the former Real Madrid and Manchester
United star.
"It's a group too united to be broken
by outside forces," said Ronaldo.
"A nation too courageous to let itself
be frightened by any adversary. A team in the truest sense of the word, which
will fight for the dream until the end."
Elsewhere on Thursday, Spanish football
authorities dismissed coach Luis Enrique following the team's shock elimination
against Morocco, naming under-21s boss Luis de la Fuente as his replacement.
"Both the president, Luis Rubiales,
and the sporting director, Jose Francisco Molina, have told the coach their
decision," the Spanish federation (RFEF) said in a statement.