Portugal Face Croatia in Last-32 Showdown: Ronaldo and Modric Lead Ageing Sides into Toronto Battle

There's something rather telling about Portugal and Croatia's trajectory when you clock that their standout performers are a pair of fortysomethings: Cristiano Ronaldo at 41 and Luka Modric at 40. Undoubtedly legends of the game, but at their age—and in this heat—questions linger about whether either nation has genuinely moved beyond their talismanic figures.

Yet the case for experience holds water. Ronaldo bagged a brace against Uzbekistan during group play and, despite appearing jaded in the opening loss to England, Modric has rediscovered his rhythm. He orchestrated Croatia's winning goal against Ghana, the strike that secured their passage.

Group Stage Recap

Both sides finished as runners-up in their pools. Portugal steamrollered Uzbekistan 5-0, drew 1-1 with DR Congo, and scraped past Colombia 0-0. Croatia recovered from a chastening 4-2 defeat to England by squeezing past Panama 1-0 and Ghana 2-1.

Kick-Off Details

The match fires up at midnight BST on Friday, July 3 in Toronto—7pm local time Thursday. BBC One will broadcast proceedings from 11.30pm, with BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT offering full commentary.

Team News

Ronaldo has featured in every minute of Portugal's campaign so far, and manager Roberto Martinez shows no inclination to grant him respite. Joao Neves is poised to return to the starting eleven after a cameo against Colombia, with no injury concerns elsewhere.

Modric's minutes have been managed more carefully—he departed after 58 minutes against England, though he played 81 against Panama and the full 90 versus Ghana. He'll anchor midfield alongside Mateo Kovacic. Josko Gvardiol, the Manchester City defender, could reclaim his left-back berth after surprisingly missing the Ghana encounter.

The Odds

Portugal sit at 4/5 favourites for a 90-minute victory, while Croatia trade at 18/5. The draw stands at 13/5. In the 'To Qualify' market—factoring in extra time and penalties—Portugal are 2/5 to progress, with Croatia at 11/5. The winner faces either Spain or Austria in the last 16.

The Prediction

Germany and the Netherlands served up tight last-32 affairs that required extra time, and this European heavyweight bout could easily follow suit. Portugal's two group-stage draws coupled with Croatia's narrow margins of victory against Panama and Ghana suggest neither possesses the cutting edge to blow the other away inside 90 minutes.

Back the draw at 13/5 for the most straightforward call.

If contemplating the long way round, Portugal have won five of eight penalty shootouts (62.5%), while Croatia have converted four of seven (57.1%). The margins are negligible, but Croatia's perfect record—four from four at World Cup finals—gives them a psychological edge that Zlatko Dalic will certainly remind his squad about should it come to spot-kicks. Croatia to win on penalties at 10/1 merits consideration.

For goalscoring value, Ronaldo at 11/10 looks short. Instead, Modric—the other 40-year-old and his nation's chief penalty taker—at 15/2 to find the net offers better value than his illustrious opposite number.