A stacked weekend lies ahead with all four quarter-finals kicking off live and free on SBS On Demand at 1:30AM and 5:30AM AEDT on Saturday and Sunday.
Can an 'ageing' Croatia stop the Seleção machine?
Croatia would be counting their lucky stars to have made it to the final eight, after Japan gave them an incredible run for their money in the Round of 16. The AFC affiliates pushed the 2018 runners-up all the way to penalties after opening the scoring in the first half, with three penalty saves from Croatia gloveman Dominik Livakovic being all that separated the two sides.
It was the third time in four matches that Zlatko Dalić's men had drawn in regular time, with the lack of goals being produced, bar their 4-1 group stage win over Canada, being at the centre of their troubles yet again.
Despite facing criticism in the Croatian media last year about a perceived over-reliance on older squad members amid the side's premature exit from Euro 2020, Dalić has continued to stick by the veterans who guided Croatia all the way to the final at Russia 2018, with six of the 11 who lined up against Japan being over the age of 30.
With the high number of experienced players in their squad being noted as a potential barrier in their Qatar 2022 prospects by some, including SBS World Cup analyst Sarah Walsh, the veteran-heavy side could struggle against the pace and energy of a rampant Brazil outfit if they struggle to hold out in defence.
Seleção were clinical in the opening half of their Round of 16 encounter against Korea Republic, with returning talisman Neymar, Richarlison, Vinicius Jr and Lucas Paqueta all amongst the goals in a 36-minute demolition job.
It will be difficult a task for the Croatian backline, which boasts both youth and experience in centre-back duo Joško Gvardiol and Dejan Lovren respectively, to contain Brazil's numerous attacking outlets in the quarter-finals. But make no mistake - Luka Modric and Croatia will be ready to spring a major upset in the context of the tournament, particularly as the Croatian captain goes head-to-head with three of his Real Madrid teammates in Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Éder Militão.
Can Argentina continue their strong recovery?
Ranked third in the world, Argentina remain one of the firm favourites to take home the trophy from Qatar, and with a potential semi-final meeting against South American rivals Brazil on the cards, it would appear the winner of that match would be a strong chance of claiming their third or sixth World Cup titles, respectively, if it happens.
However, it did not initially appear that way, as the Lionel Messi-led side first succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to 51st-ranked Saudi Arabia in their opening group match at Qatar 2022 - noted by some as the greatest upset in FIFA World Cup history. After their leader Messi opened the scoring with a 10th-minute penalty, the Saudis capitalised on a slow second-half start from Albiceleste with two quickfire goals.
The Argentinians steadied, however, claiming back-to-back 2-0 wins against Mexico and Poland to top the group, thanks in part to the goal power of seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi and fellow forward Julian Alvarez. The South Americans survived a late scare in their Round of 16 match against the Socceroos, as the Aussies halved a two-goal deficit with less than 15 minutes remaining and came agonisingly close to netting a late equaliser.
However, the next potential stumbling block for Lionel Scaloni's men are Group A-toppers the Netherlands, who SBS analyst Mark Bosnich also believes are a tournament contender. The European side are arguably yet to face a strong challenge in the tournament thus far, after cruising to victories against Senegal and host nation Qatar in the group stage and winning 3-1 against the USA in their last outing.
The organised defensive structure of Louis van Gaal's side will be difficult to break down, with a back three consisting of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, Manchester City's Nathan Ake and Jurriën Timber of Ajax. Van Gaal's pragmatic approach in defence is often complimented by their speed up front, with three-time scorer Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay looking to cause headaches for the Argentina backline.
Rest assured, the tournament form and strength of both teams across all areas of the park has the makings for a thrilling knock-out match.
Mbappe v Walker - who wins?
One match-up noted by some as where the game will be won and lost is between French attacker Kylian Mbappe and England's Kyle Walker, the former leading the scoring for the tournament with five goals.
With discussion surrounding Gareth Southgate's potential switch to a back three, many believe that Walker will be key to stopping Mbappe from either sitting deep in a wing-back role or as a right centre-back. Regardless of the position he takes, many have made note of the challenge that Walker will face in trying to contain the Paris Saint-Germain man.
"I can't actually think of another right-back in the world that I'd want to put up against him," said former Manchester United player Gary Neville on ITV.
"That doesn't mean that Kyle will mark him out of the game. This is a sensational player, the new best player in the world. Devastating."
"There isn’t really a player on the planet who can deal with Kylian Mbappe. He knocks it out of his right foot in his stride pattern and he’s away. He’s a flying machine," said for United player Roy Keane in a column for the Daily Mail.
"England need to come up with a special plan to stop him because France’s superstar will exploit Kyle Walker if the right back is not up to speed."
Meanhwile, former England international Theo Walcott claims that although Mbappe is a "different beast", he would "struggle" against Walker in this match. Who knows what will happen?
Can Morocco shock the world once more?
Despite boasting a strong squad, Morocco would have likely been a team that slipped under most people's radar ahead of Qatar 2022. The African side started the tournament by holding 2018 runners-up Croatia, before stunning Canada and second-ranked Belgium to top Group F.
Perhaps only the statistics from Nielsen Gracenote, who rated Morocco as the best African team ahead of the World Cup, and the most eagle-eyed of tournament onlookers could have possibly predicted Morocco's rapid rise at Qatar 2022. This would more than explain the shock behind their imminent quarter-finals berth at the tournament, which was sealed with a penalty-shoot-out win over European heavyweights Spain in the Round of 16.
Powered by a strong backline which includes Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi and Bayern Munich centre-half Noussair Mazraoui, as well as talent in both areas up the park including Chelsea attacker Hakim Ziyech and midfield anchor Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina, the Moroccans will look to shock yet another European heavyweight in the quarter-finals.
The highly-fancied Portugal, who are the third most likely to take home the World Cup behind Brazil and Argentina in Nielsen Gracenote's projections, are fresh off a 6-1 triumph over Switzerland in the last 16, with leading goalscorers Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao and rising star Goncalo Ramos all playing a major part.
Even without Cristiano Ronaldo, who played just 22 minutes off the bench against the Swiss, the Portuguese look dangerous and will pose a massive challenge to the fairytale team of the 2022 finals.
