Canada will look to collect their first points at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday as they come face to face with Croatia (11 am ET | FOX & Telemundo in United States; TSN in Canada).
John Herdman’s side will only feature one change from the starting XI he employed in their tournament opener against Belgium, which ended in a 1-0 loss. Club Brugge forward Cyle Larin will start up top alongside Lille striker Jonathan David.
Thirty-nine-year-old captain Atiba Hutchinson will lead Les Rouges once more as Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies moves to the wing. Once again, Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea and CF Montréal defenders Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller will feature in the starting lineup.
The preamble of the match between Canadians and Croatians took an unexpected turn after Herdman’s postgame interview caught Croatian media attention. Herdman said he told his players that “they belong here and we’re going to go and F Croatia” – a comment the opposition didn’t receive kindly.
To make matters more interesting in Group F, Morocco – who held Croatia to a scoreless draw in their opening match – shocked Belgium with a 2-0 result earlier on Sunday to claim the top spot.
By position, here’s how a likely 4-4-2 formation could look (right to left):
- Goalkeeper: Milan Borjan (Red Star Belgrade)
- Defenders: Alistair Johnston (CF Montréal), Steven Vitória (Chaves), Kamal Miller (CF Montréal), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC)
- Midfielders: Tajon Buchanan (Club Brugge), Atiba Hutchinson (Beşiktaş), Stephen Eustáquio (Porto), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
- Forwards: Jonathan David (Lille), Cyle Larin (Club Brugge)
